The White Rose
by Wishmaker91296
Summary: Kakashi has always been alone and cold, his past haunts him but can someone change that? Will Kakashi change to make his life better or do what he's always done his whole life, and can Kakashi help Naruto? Time is wasting for this white rose to rise from the ground! KakaNaru,KakashiXNaruto,Co-author KitElizaKing. story COMPLETE. Sequel in works.
1. Chapter 1

**The White Rose **

**Chapter 1**

**By Deathwish91296 and KitElizaKing **

**Kakashi age 30**

**Naruto and others 17**

**we do not own Naruto in anyway**

It was the middle of winter in Konoha, and it was snowing heavily, the snow slowly dropping on the village in big, fat, wet flakes. As it came down, it covered the landscape and the buildings of the village in a soft, white blanket, and the peaceful sight of it made many of the faces in the village smile with happiness. But, it did happen that there was one sad face in the village; one that couldn't be seen, one that always wore a mask to conceal his appearance from the world. That sad face belonged to Kakashi Hatake, the child prodigy of the infamous White Fang of Konoha, and a Shinobi famed for his skill in his own right.

Kakashi walked the village streets looking like the scarecrow of his name—tall, lean, a shocking head of silver hair all askew. He was coming back from the Hokage tower, from reporting in after his latest mission, and he was tired. Worst than that though, he was lonely. Winter always made him realize how lonely he was, and he hated the season for it. And, the snow that made others so happy made him feel isolated from the world. He had never been a people person, and he'd spent every one of the last eighteen years alone…never letting anyone get close to him. It was his own fault, and he knew it, but he'd never tried to change it.

As he got closer to the center of the city he saw the village children running and playing happily in the snow. They were carefree, abandoning themselves to their play. It was something he'd never done. " I never was a kid like that, was I Obito?" He murmured the words aloud, a rueful grin curving the lips hidden under the mask. After the death of his father, Kakashi 's childhood had been all about being a Shinobi . Never about friends or having a good time. All those days he wasted being an asshole to the other children when he could have been forming fast friendships with them. A friendship with Obito and Rin that could have lasted longer than the short time he'd had with them. But, he'd always followed the rules like a good little boy, like a true Shinobi, never thinking beyond his rigid personal code, and it had cost him so much…

Kakashi performed a series of intricate hand signs as he walked up to his apartment, disabling the various jutsus he'd put in place to safeguard it while he was gone, before pulling out his keys to open his door. He was cold, and he was wet through from the snow melting over him as he'd walked. Inside, his home was dark and warm, and he started shedding the wet clothing as he walked towards his bed. It took some time, but at last he was free of them all and stood by his bed, naked and cold. He knew he should take a shower, not only to warm up, but to wash away all of the dirt and grime that was a memento of his mission, and he knew he should pick up the wet clothes and hang them to dry, but the energy to do that just wasn't in him anymore. He was just too damned tired- too damned tired to care about the shower, about the clothes, and happily, too tired to care that he was once more all alone. Pulling back the shuriken-printed comforter he rolled himself underneath it, the shivers he was feeling slowly easing as he warmed up. Within moments the dark, slow warmth of sleep was tugging him under, and he followed blissfully after it, wanting the oblivion of dreamless unconsciousness so he could forget about _everything, _and so he let himself go, and for a time Kakashi was able to leave his loneliness behind.

**Thanks guys, please review**

**Your new friend deathwish,** **KitElizaKing**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody we are back, I really enjoyed reading all the reviews and pm, Thank you Guys! Enjoy Chapter 2!**

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 2**

**The Slow Morning **

The cold air in his bedroom woke Kakashi from a restive sleep, and he shivered as he tried to curl back into the questionable warmth of his bed. The temperature in his room had kept him from sleeping deeply, and he'd awakened several times last night, and not just from the cold. Dreams, the memories of things that had happened to him, mixed with images of the mission he'd been on, rousing him and disturbing him until he woke and stared about him and tried to get back to sleep. And so he lay curled on his bed and stared as his small apartment, wishing he had the energy to get up.

Yawning, he forced himself to throw back the covers and emerge naked and still dirty to cold air, shivering as he ambled across to his small kitchenette, thinking to make himself a cup of tea before having a shower. At least he could warm the inside, before warming the outside. But a cursory search of his cupboards revealed them to be bare of almost anything, and his small refrigerator was no better. Except for a few shriveled lumps of what used to be fruit, there was nothing there, either. The pay of a Jounin sensei hadn't been nearly enough to keep his cupboards full, and now, the pay of a Team Captain was only a little better.

Sighing, he scratched an idle hand over his taut belly, and decided that perhaps a shower would be better to start the day with, and then perhaps he could do some shopping. It was only a few paces to his bathroom, and he grabbed up some old, worn clothing to put on—some gray sweatpants and a black sweater, and the black singlet that was a part of his mask—and headed for the his shower, shivering only slightly as he shut the door.

Fifteen minutes later and he was done, walking from his bathroom dressed in his warm clothing and mask and rubbing a towel through his thick, gray hair. Contrary to most rumours, he didn't have to put anything into it to get it to do what it did, and he shoved his hands through it a few times before he was satisfied with the look of it. Throwing his wet towel to the bed, he took one more look around his lonely little room, sighing as he did so. There wasn't much more than his bed and his nightstand, a small, round table he hardly ever ate at, and a bookcase just under his window that held his collection of books, two small photographs, and the plant that Naruto had given him years ago: Mr. Ukki. In spite of his habitual absence, the plant was tall and healthy, a respectable green that never failed to make him smile.

_Naruto_. Even when he wasn't there, the boy never failed to make him smile either.

The thoughts of his young student pulled his eyes to the framed photographs—one of his only Genin team, and the other of the only team that he'd ever belonged to as a kid. Kakashi couldn't stop himself from crossing the room and picking up that photo, seeing himself and his two friends, and Minato-sensei above them, looking over them like the three undeniable brats that they were. _Kami, he missed them still._ He wished now, that he'd been different back when he'd been a kid, he'd have had such a better friendship with them when they'd been alive. But now, now of course it was too late, and time and Kakashi had moved on, or at least he'd tried to…another one of the failures that marked him.

Putting down the picture, he was about to get himself ready to go out when he sensed a presence at his door, a flickering chakra that announced a Shinobi of Chuunin rank, and he exhaled a deep breath before going to the door and answering it. On the other side was a pale, young man of about five foot seven inches, with black hair and dark brown eyes, and a tic to his left cheek that gave away his nervousness at being sent to the door of one of the most infamous Shinobi of Konoha. "Um…yes…Is this, is this where—" The young man's voice broke, and Kakashi estimated he wasn't anymore than 19 or 20, a perfect example of a young ninja that would never rise any further in the ranks than village messenger or file clerk.  
>"Are you Kakashi Hatake?"<p>

The utter ridiculousness of that question would have made a lesser man roll his eyes, but Kakashi only shoved his bare fingers through his hair once more before answering with a casual: "Umm, yeah."

The young Shinobi abruptly straightened, his brown eyes going very wide as he regarded the man in front of him, his face flushing as he realized his own stupidity. "Yes, yes, of course you are." He mumbled, looking down at his snow-covered boots. "Right." There was a long pause while Kakashi waited for the other man to announce what he was doing at his door, and when that flushed, embarrassed face tipped up to his, he greeted it with his most fake eye-smile, his posture as he leaned over the other Shinobi deliberately imposing.  
>"Yes?" He drawled out. "Maa, you must be here for something."<p>

He could have sworn he almost heard an '_eep_' as the young man reacted to his attitude, but to give the boy credit he squared his shoulders and did what he'd come to do, and the words he'd been sent with spurted forth from him with speed and force, spraying at Kakashi who blinked against them.

"Sir, the Lady Hokage wants to see you as soon as possible, sir."

"Well then," Kakashi answered promptly. "I shouldn't keep her waiting then, should I?" He shut the door in the astonished face of the young man and went to gather shoes and boots and coat so he could go out. The last thing he did was tie his hitae-atai around his forehead, dropping it down to cover the left eye he habitually kept closed. He thought about his orders, and then he thought about his empty cupboards and that cup of tea that he wanted so desperately and he shook his head. "Nah…I think I will keep her waiting." And he headed out for his tea.

**So I gave you some naked Kakashi, can I hear a cheer from all of you Kakashi-lovers out there? I hope you appreciate it, so leave us a new review for our reworked chapter and make us happy. Thank you!**

**Thank you guys for reading I really hope we did better one this one please review and let us know Deathwish and KitElizaKing**


	3. Chapter 3

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 3**

**Goodbye, Old Friend**

An hour and a half later, Kakashi was finally at the Hokage tower-quite early considering his tardy reputation, _he_ thought. Since going in through the door was an option he rarely ever used, he scaled the side of the building as he usually did, knocking the snow from his boots before popping in through the window with a laconic 'yo'. He settled himself on the ledge, his eye on the frame around the window, waiting for the blonde terror he called Hokage to begin screaming at him much as she usually did. But, it turned out, nothing about this day was going to be 'usual', and put off of the routine he'd established over the years his well-trained mind began to consider other reasons he wasn't being screamed at, and he frowned. None of those reasons were good ones at all.

He stopped examining the jutsus protecting the window and gazed instead at the back of the woman standing so close to him. The set of her shoulders told him that something was definitely wrong—that his usual nonchalant persona was not what was needed today. Instantly he moved, swinging his legs down from the sill so he could give her his undivided attention. Tsunade did not look well. Even from behind… for she hadn't turned to acknowledge his greeting… Kakashi could see that she was not her usual loud, demanding self.

"Hokage-sama." He spoke to her, taking in the blonde hair that had been let down out of its usual pig-tails, lying limply over her shoulder. Kakashi circled her, his stomach clenching uncomfortably when he saw that she'd been crying. A moment of pure panic went through him at the thought that something had happened that was bad enough to make her cry. The Hokage was one of the strongest women that he'd ever known…strong and resourceful, and not given to displays of grief over a dead Konoha Shinobi. She knew that it was part of the job she'd taken on to have days where one of her men didn't return, so this must be something entirely worse.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently, stopping in front of her desk, his gut still clenching as those deadened honey-coloured eyes stared up at him as if she didn't know exactly why he was standing in front of her. "You sent for me, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said softly, easing the stance of his body into one of comfort and understanding. "What happened?"

"He's dead." Two words said outright and cold, but with the forlorn tone of a lost child. She'd been hurt terribly by this death…whomever it was that had passed away had hurt her right to the heart.

"Who died, my lady?" He asked gently, his quick mind already going through a list of possible people who were close enough to the Hokage to make her mourn this deeply. The first on the list—Naruto was safe and sound, and Kakashi could hear another banging around in the antechamber outside the office door, Shizune was obviously safe as well. "Who was it?" He asked softly, afraid that he already knew, and he could feel his throat close up a little, too. The tears that began to fall in response to his quiet question left him little doubt, and he mourned with her, a part of him very much moved just by the sight of the tears on the Hokage's face. She was the strongest woman he had ever known, strong of body and strong of will, and one of the most determined leaders the village had ever had. When she stood and walked towards the open window he'd just came in through, he stayed where he was and followed her with his eye, she had her hands clutched together behind her back, and by the shuddering of her shoulders he could tell that she was still crying.

"Jiraiya." It was the name he'd feared hearing, and yet there it was.

_Jiraiya…_Memories of the Toad Sage filled his head- the times he'd seen him with his sensei, and the close relationship they'd shared, a fond, _annoying_ remembrance from a childhood that didn't have too many of those. Still, though, he could not believe what he was hearing, Jiraiya was one of the legendary Konoha Sannin… a powerful, intelligent and cunning fighter. But, far worse than that, he was the writer of his favourite series of books of all time, and now he knew that things would never be the same. Not only had the Village Hidden in the Leaves lost one of their most important Shinobi, but he'd lost his favourite author. "How did he die?" He asked softly, his eye dark with the grief he was sharing with his Hokage.

Tsunade's shoulders suddenly squared themselves at the sound of his voice, and she turned to look at him. Kakashi was absurdly glad to see the determination back in those golden eyes. "We have some clues he left on one of his toads," she said, striding back to her desk, her hand with those long crimson-painted nails shuffling paper pointlessly from one side of it to the other. "But I need you for other things Kakashi!" She had that tone back in her voice—the one that he knew to not challenge or question. He stood a little straighter in response to it, waiting to hear how he could be of use.

"Jiraiya was getting Naruto ready for the Akatsuki. He was going to take Naruto on another training trip. Naruto needs the training, Kakashi, and you're the best we've got." Those determined eyes looked at him, the set of those golden irises letting him know that he couldn't '_Maaah…' _his way out of this assignment. " Besides," she said pointedly…" he is on _your_ team."

He understood the reason she was giving him this assignment now. He was the only one left that had known both Naruto's father and mother—had known the story of the Nine Tails and been there just after his golden-haired student had been made into a sacrifice so that the village could survive. Kakashi knew Naruto better than any other eligible Shinobi could ever dream of doing, and he knew what drove him. "You want me to train him." He said, and the words were just a little bit wondering.

The Hokage smiled at that, and he didn't know why, nor did he feel that it was his place to ask.

"Yes." She replied, that slight smile still on her lips. "But first bring him here. He…he doesn't know about Jiraiya yet."

Some of the mantle of sadness settled over her shoulders once more, and Kakashi stood taller in response to it. He stood up straight, and offered her a brief, heartfelt bow, something he had never done before. "Yes, my lady." And with that he turned around and walked out the door, an unusual end to this very painful day. Bringing Naruto to hear this kind of news made his heart ache for the young man. _This is not going to go well._ He closed the door gently behind him, and went to get his teammate, feeling the sting of a tear in his eye at the thought that the exuberant kid had lost yet another person that was important to him. _Naruto…_He thought…_I'm so sorry._

Tsunade had just watched the impossible occur, and she had to smile at the way that brat could do the unexpected and relieve some of the pain she'd been feeling. "You were right about him, you old fool." She murmured to the air, somehow sensing that her dear, perverted teammate was close. 'He'll be good for Naruto." There was a feeling at her shoulder, the sensation of a hand touching her, the warmth of it undeniable, and she whirled fast, but there wasn't anyone there, and for a long moment she stared out at the sight of the village that both she and Jiraiya truly loved, and her smile this time was a happier one. Tsunade found that she didn't mind the sensation of someone watching over her shoulder, not when it was this someone and his goofy, gleeful grin.

**So, another bit of a rewrite. There's a little more pathos, a little more emotion and some introspection. Let us know how you like it. We're setting a deeper, more touching scene, I hope.**

**Thanks guys for reading please review and tell me what you think and if I did something wrong and tell me what you think **

**Thank you **


	4. Chapter 4

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 4**

**A Peaceful Mind**

Kakashi took to the village streets, the words Tsunade had spoken to him engraved on his mind like the names upon the Memorial Stone. He needed to be alone before he went to get Naruto, so he disappeared into the village as only a Shinobi could. There were ways through Konoha that only the Anbu knew, and he lost himself in those ways for a while, wandering, his mind occupied…wanting the privacy of those dark alleys and rooftops as he worked through what he'd just heard. _Jiraiya was dead. _That thought seemed impossible, and he could feel a phantom pain in his heart like he hadn't felt since the death of his old teammate Rin. Kakashi's memories of the Toad Sage were few, but they were meaningful, and the bond he'd seen the old Shinobi share with his sensei had always been a model to an orphaned boy of how a father should act with his son.

The affection, the pride, that sharp tongue that scolded when it was necessary to correct some stupidity he, or his sensei, was committing. Or, just the terrible crack of a lame joke that would have the Sannin laughing like the pervert that he was, and Kushina-san staring at him in dismay, one hand curling into a fist while steam almost rose from her ears.

_Brat. _He could hear Jiraiya's voice and see the way Minato-sensei would laugh to hear him called that, adolescent Kakashi fuming like Kushina-san to be treated like that by a pervy old Shinobi. Looking back now they were some of the best times he'd had—being pulled out of his own self-absorption by the presumptive old man.

That was why he was having such a tough time accepting the fact that Jiraiya had been killed. Kakashi had always respected the man, for more than just the words he wrote. The Toad Sage had been a great warrior, lively and strong. The Jounin knew that he'd done far more for the village than the civilians would ever know about. Missions that he undertook for the Hokage that very few would ever hear of—trips that brought back essential information to the village that kept it safe and well-informed. How many would never know about that and who would take up that mantle now?

There could never be another like him, but what Kakashi remembered most about the man was his unshakeable belief that peace should always prevail over hatred. Kakashi had understood the old Sannin's need to believe in that, for there were very few warriors that didn't dream of a permanent peace…but the ruthless and practical side of him…the side that made him one of the best assassins the Village Hidden in the Leaves had ever produced…didn't share that belief. "_The world is full of hate Jiraiya-sama, you can't really_ _believe that there will be peace in the world someday?" _He remembered his words, spoken to the Toad Sage _"Kakashi, nothing is more powerful, no Ninjutsu,_ _Taijutsu, or_ _Genjutsu, nothing… not even hate." _

The words still rang in Kakashi's mind, now more so than ever, and he could see the certainty on that red-streaked face even now, Jiriaya's black eyes so focused on the vision he could see of the future that Kakashi had actually worried about the burden the Sannin would be trying to place on an already over-burdened kid. But Naruto had risen to the challenge of a new belief like he always had, and now, as the gray-haired Jounin caught glimpses of his teammate through the bare, clean windows of his apartment, Kakashi wondered why he had ever thought to doubt that he would. The one thing he'd known about Naruto from his three years of teaching him had been that you only had to put a task in front of the blond kid and tell him it was too hard for him, and he'd work at it until it was finished. Finished so hard and so well that it was a crater in the ground and Naruto was a sweating, exhausted mess, but completed nonetheless. He couldn't help the chuckle at the thought of it, knowing that even he'd taken some of that determination to heart…perfecting his Mangekyo Sharingan in the time Naruto had been gone as a tribute to the inspiration of that kid.

Perched on a rooftop near Naruto's apartment, he squatted down, sitting back on his haunches as he regarded the slightly dilapidated building that his former student still lived in, in spite of being a more accepted part of their village now. A frown curved his lips downward as he thought about the life that teen had had as a boy, and the pang of guilt that went through him was an old and familiar friend. Kakashi had known what it was like to lose a father, like so many other children of a Shinobi village and yet, the death of his father had been a singular and life-altering experience for him Not until Minato Namikaze had taken him on as a student and forced him to become part of a Chuunin team had he had a true father figure in his life once more, and he'd clung to him with all of the desperation that a lonely little boy could carry inside of him. But Naruto hadn't even had the luxury of that.

To his own eternal guilt, he hadn't been there for Naruto while he was growing up. In the days after his sensei and Kushina-san died, Kakashi had found it impossible to even look at the golden-haired child. Even then, the baby had looked too much like his substitute father for him to bear. It had taken him too long to live up to his obligations as the last student of the Yondaime, and by the time he'd gone to the newly-reinstated Third, he had missed his chance.

_I'm sorry Kakashi._ He could still hear Sarutobi-sama's voice in his head, those words written on the sinking heart of a fifteen-year-old kid who knew he'd just let his sensei down on the most important issue ever. _The Council of Elders has decided that the orphanage is the best place for the boy. And I have crafted a law that states he must never be told who he is…by anyone._ He'd seen the pointed look in those faded brown eyes, and knew that the Hokage was talking directly to him.

Shamefully he'd taken it. Used it as a reason to fade away from the troubling child. He'd gone on mission after mission, and absented himself from the first few years of Naruto's life. When he'd finally been around enough to take notice, the boy had somehow gotten out of the orphanage and into an apartment of his own, and he'd seen then how the villagers used his sensei's son. Once again he'd gone to the Third, wanting to do the right thing finally, and once more he'd been denied.

_The Council doesn't want anyone that was close to the boy's father to be around him, Kakashi._ Had been the excuse that time, but his keen gray eye had seen the sorrow in the old man's wrinkled face, and he'd known then that the Hokage didn't agree with this treatment of the blond-haired kid either. There hadn't been anything Kakashi could do about it, but it wasn't coincidental when he found himself on more guard duty for one certain Jinchuuriki. He'd at least been able to leave some supplies for the boy when he was supposed to be watching over him. And no one…_no one_…laid a hand on him when it was his shift. But, it was never enough, and he chafed to punish the ones that would hurt his sensei's son.

In the following years he'd been witness to Naruto's triumph over that treatment. Seen how an indomitable spirit rose above the condemnation of the ignorant, and when it'd come time for the boy to go to the Academy, he'd made himself known to his teacher—to Iruka Umino—a Chuunin he knew from his own Jounin team. A few words in his ear had resulted in a treasure for Naruto, and he'd been able to let go of a small bit of that guilt he'd always carried. When the Third had approached him to take a Genin team, he'd had no doubts about who'd be on it, and he'd been absurdly proud to know that he'd be repeating tradition…that he'd get to teach the son of his substitute father. But, once again the Hokage had set a foot firmly down on one of his dreams.

_You are the sensei for this team solely because of the Uchiha boy, Kakashi. _He could still hear the voice of the Third, puffing complacently on his pipe as he stood slouching before him, the two meddlesome elders sitting so primly on the couch beside them.

_If we see any indication that you are favouring the Jinchuuriki then you will be removed from the team…no warnings given._ The old, wavery voice of the woman still grated in his memory, even after all of this time, and he'd developed a loathing of Koharu after that…something the calm, unemotional Jounin had never done before.

_We will be watching you._ It was an unnecessary warning, for Kakashi had heard the sound of Danzo's voice beneath hers, seen his wizened hands pulling the strings that made her talk, and so he'd done as he was instructed to do, teaching the obsessively arrogant child how to use his Sharingan. He'd often seen the hurt in Naruto's blue eyes when he went off with Sasuke, but nothing had been as bad as the month before the final round of the Chuunin Exam. Nothing was going to get him out of teaching the disturbed Uchiha boy and when the Council had told Kakashi that _he'd_ selected Ebisu as Naruto's teacher during that one month period he'd almost snarled at those old asses like one of his summons, but he'd held it in, content in the knowledge that Pakkun had carried a message to an annoying old acquaintance of his not two weeks before, and that that old man was coming home.

Jiraiya was the best thing that happened to the boy. He made Naruto stronger and smarter, but most important of all… he was there for the boy…giving him all of the things that Kakashi couldn't. It had only eased his guilt a little though, and when his student had left Konoha for three years in the company of the old Sannin, all of Kakashi's best wishes had gone with them, hoping that Naruto would discover all of the things that he had been missing as a child under the wise mentoring of one of Konoha's oddest Shinobi. He had, and his happy, bubbling return to the village last year had given Kakashi reason to celebrate the bond that had grown between Jiraiya and the determined teen.

And now that odd, annoying, generous old man was dead.

Rising from his crouch, Kakashi took one last look into his teammate's apartment, seeing the preparations Naruto was making for his next training mission with the Toad Sage. He shook his head a little sadly, just watching, his hands pushed deeply into his pockets. He didn't want to be the one to take this news to Naruto, for the boy had lost too much already. But there wasn't anyone else the Fifth could trust with this, so with one last sigh, he shrugged, and disappeared towards the front door of the blond's apartment, leaving only a swirl of leaves behind.

Kakashi walked up the stairs leading to Naruto's door, hesitating as he lifted a hand to knock, his heart racing a little bit painfully in his chest. _Maybe I_ _should be the one to tell him. Maybe I should take him out to eat at Ichiraku's and break the news there, perhaps the quiet of the Hokage heads would be better._ His head drooped, almost hitting the door as the doubts about his own emotional fitness for doing this job assailed him. _Or, should I just let the Hokage do it, it's what she wanted anyways. _Kakashi didn't have time to decide what to do though, because the door opened up right in front of him….

**Ha-ha, I going to make you guys wait to find out what happens next **

**Cause I can!**

**Phew! Big rewrite here! This chapter kicked my butt a bit, I don't mind telling you. Its always hard to know how much to write, and its even harder to determine how much is too much. Anyways, here it is, I hope it helps you understand where the relationship between Kakashi and Naruto stands in this story before we move on to the present, that's the ultimate goal of these rewrites. **

**If you're re-reading this, please take the time to stop and review to let us know how we did. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 5**

**The scarecrow And the Fox**

Naruto grinned when he opened the door and saw that it was his sensei that had come to visit him. _Well, his former sensei, anyways._ He reached out a hand to grasp the sleeve of that dark, warm coat and tug the taller man into his apartment for it was far too chilly to just stand there in front of his open door. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" He'd only just gotten dressed, looking for warmth in the thicker clothing he'd pulled from the depths of his closet for his apartment's heating sucked, and he could nearly see his breath whenever he exhaled. The jeans he was wearing were black, but his sweatshirt was still orange, just not quite as orange as what he usually wore.

Caught off guard by the door opening in front of him when he wasn't prepared for it, Kakashi allowed himself to be pulled into the relative warmth of Naruto's apartment. Not that it was that much warmer than outside, he noticed, his brain willing to be distracted by the smallest of details in order to avoid thinking about what was coming Naruto's way. He wasn't ready for this. Wasn't ready to be the one to hurt this young man even though he'd thought that he could before he'd actually gotten here.

"Maa, Naruto, the Hokage wants to see you." The words came from his mouth like another person had spoken for him, and Kakashi cursed himself to think that he'd been so cowardly as to dodge doing the right thing in this terrible situation. But, he knew he wasn't exactly the most emotionally forward man, and he feared that he would screw it all up worse than it was going to be.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto hesitated, and Kakashi had the feeling that there was something more that the teen had to say, for a throb of feeling had been in his voice when he'd said Kakashi's name. His one grey eye met those sky blue ones, looking for an expression to go with the ill-defined emotion he'd sensed, but Naruto was already smiling at him…that wide, too-happy smile that the kid had always hidden his true feelings behind, and it genuinely troubled him that Naruto would still do that. The urge to stop him from smiling like that filled him, and Kakashi took a single step towards Naruto, his hand rising from his side so he could touch the teen's shoulder, when Naruto spoke again.

"Well I better get ready...see you later Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto reached out to open his door, but Kakashi put his hand up to stop it, his gloved palm holding the door closed against his student in an impulse that had just filled him.

"Would you like some company?" The words were out of him before he'd really even considered what he was saying, the need to not let Naruto do this by himself driving him to speak. "Maa," he amended, one hand going up to shove through his silver hair. "The road is long between here and the Hokage Tower and I wouldn't want you getting lost."

It was a feeble excuse, but it was the best that he could come up with at such short notice, so Kakashi went with it, shoving both hands in his pockets so he could lean backwards and look down at Naruto, his one eye turned up in a smile that didn't feel convincing to him at all.

"I wouldn't mind walking there with you." _Damn it! Why did I do that_? His brain was going a mile a minute over all of the reasons why he should just excuse himself and meet Naruto there, but his heart was having none of it, all of the memories he'd conjured up on his way over here of his past failures too fresh to ignore.

"Yeah, sensei ." A genuine smile curved Naruto's lips then, and he nodded his head in appreciation. "That'd be great! Just let me go and get ready and we'll head out." A lightness filled Naruto as he pulled on the other man, drawing him farther into his small apartment. With the sweep of a hand, the blond teen indicated the little bit of a kitchen that he had. "Do you want some tea, sensei?"

Kakashi tried to fight back the smile that threatened to erupt under his mask now, as he sensed the change in Naruto's attitude that had come from his impulsive action. "I'm not an old man, you know, Naruto." He shrugged his shoulders at the teen as he turned around to look at him, the gleam in those cerulean eyes letting him know that the young man was onto his tease.

"Just because you drink tea doesn't mean that you're old, Kakashi-sensei, but it does make you wiser."

Kakashi took in the grin on that golden-skinned face, liking the happiness that he saw there, and so he grinned under his mask in response. Carefully knocking what little snow that remained from his boots, he went across to sit on Naruto's raggedy couch, watching as the teen filled his dented kettle and put it on the stove to boil. "Maa, who told you that?" That light tone of teasing was still in his voice, so he wasn't surprised when Naruto turned to pin him with those blue eyes once more. The way his face had lit up during this gentle exchange had eased Kakashi's heart, and he regretted that the whole day couldn't be this way for the teen.

"The Pervy Sage." A gleeful smirk devastated the grin that had been on Naruto's face as he paused in the act of getting down two cups, and he shot his sensei a look that said '_Well, you did ask.'_ A long look passed between them as both men considered the source of that wisdom for very different reasons. For a moment Kakashi thought that he had rediscovered the courage that would allow him to tell the teen the real reason he'd come to him with the summons, but the shrill whistle of the boiling kettle ruined his nerve, and he returned to contemplating his comrade's small apartment while Naruto finished pouring him a cup of tea. When the blond teen crossed the space to hand him the hot cup, he gave him a noncommittal eye-smile, the lid just a little curved, and he saw the slight frown on that face as the teen saw it. _How well his student knew him now._ Kakashi thought as Naruto went about the room, gathering up a change of clothes. _Almost as well as he was getting to know Naruto._

Naruto dashed into his little bathroom and hurriedly changed, trying to avoid looking at his now flushed, face in the mirror. He really liked spending time with his sensei There were very few men as cool as Kakashi, and he'd always looked up to the man. He didn't want to miss out on this chance to visit with him before he left with the Pervy Sage again. Yanking on his regular orange and black gear, he looked at himself one last time, smiling a little at the twinkle he could see in his own eyes. Unless Baa-chan had some short little mission up her sleeve, Naruto could look forward to spending some more of his day with his sensei, and he realized that he liked that idea a lot.

_The boy has changed a lot._ Kakashi mused as he sipped on the cup of hot tea. The last time he'd seen him was when they'd saved the Fifth Kazekage, Naruto's friend Gaara. Kakashi had been in the hospital recovering yet again from chakra exhaustion and he'd been telling his team that they would have a new team leader in the interim. He smiled as he remembered how upset they'd been, but they'd listened to him, and Tenzo had done a fine job subbing for teen was still a little shorter than average, but had gained a lot body mass. He was a strong kid now, stronger and more agile, but still was not as experienced with all of that ability as Kakashi was. He'd noticed how he'd lost a lot of the baby fat in his face, revealing the lean, striking facial structure that had come from Kushina-san.

Taking a little more from the cup, his eyes dropped to the floor, and the little piles of rubbish that seemed to be everywhere. The apartment was rundown, but it was mostly clean. The one thing the teen really needed to work on was picking up after himself. There were piles of discarded and half-read scrolls, held open by stacks of empty ramen cups. He winced to himself at the thought of the ring marks the wet bottoms of those cups had left on the paper. Clothes, clean and dirty, lay in heaps, ready to be washed or put away as the case may be. He frowned, spotting one of his former student's old orange jumpsuits. It was tattered and stained, a relic of the past that Naruto had clearly outgrown. Kakashi rose to his feet, setting his now empty cup down on the counter in the kitchenette as he passed by on his way to that well-remembered piece of clothing. Picking it up, he saw that it had definitely expired on one of their missions years ago. Why the teen was still hanging onto it, he couldn't say, but acting yet again on an undeniable impulse, he plucked a piece of that torn fabric from it, and tucked it into the Jounin vest he was wearing under his coat. _It may come in handy someday._ Was his thought, just as Naruto emerged from the bathroom with his Shinobi gear on.

Dropping the orange jumpsuit back to the floor, Kakashi rezipped his coat, shoving his hands deep in the pockets of it as he rocked back on his heels. "You might want to think about picking this stuff up sometime, Naruto." He drawled, a lazy look in his single eye.

"Eh, whatever." Naruto drawled in reply, matching his sensei's lazy look quite handily. He rummaged around in his closet, finding his winter coat and boots. Putting them on, he gave Kakashi his sunniest smile. "Okay, sensei. I'm ready now."

Kakashi and Naruto walked next to each other in companionable silence. If Kakashi was feeling any dread about the upcoming meeting with the Hokage, he was trying very hard to not show it. He buried his head in his favourite little book, all the while thinking that he still had time to do the courageous thing and just tell his teammate about Jiraiya. Every so often, he saw those blue eyes turn up towards him, looking at him expectantly. It was as if Naruto wanted to say something to him…or was waiting for Kakashi to say something to him…and he wasn't quite sure how to start. Knowing that if he started to speak he'd probably end up telling the teen all about Jiraiya, he chose to keep his silence, walking along as if he truly wanted to read _Icha Icha Paradise _yet again, leaving Naruto to decide whether he'd keep his silence, too.

Naruto wanted to scream, he was not the type to just not say anything. He hadn't really talked to Kakashi in a long time, but it seemed Kakashi just didn't care. Naruto had always wanted to show Kakashi just how good of a Shinobi he could really be, even before he'd left with Jiraiya. Back then it had seemed like Sasuke was all Kakashi cared about.

"_It's not fair,_ _Ero-sennin…I can be just as good as him." _ Naruto could hear the echo of his own voice, loud and clear in his memory.

"_Sounds like you wanted Kakashi to spend time training you and not Sasuke, kid. Don't worry Naruto, when we get back you can show him what an awesome Shinobi you've become, and that brat will regret ever looking at that Uchiha kid." _The Pervy Sage's loud, obnoxious voice rang in his head, and he smiled at the memory of it. Naruto really just wanted Kakashi to see him. See what kind of Shinobi he'd become…a teammate to be proud of.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" He looked up at his teacher, catching the sideways glance of that single gray eye, and the inquisitive upwards slant of a slender silver brow. "I was thinking maybe you could, uh, train me a little before me and the Pervy Sage leave again." It was time to put it out there. There wasn't much time before he had to leave, but he'd really like to spend that time with his sensei before he had to say goodbye to him again.

Kakashi was startled, his heartbeat speeding up a little as the blond teen's request so readily echoed that of the Hokage's. He would be in charge of training Naruto again, now that Jiraiya was dead, but the young man's innocent question had made up his mind for him that _**he**_ should be the one to tell him about the Toad Sage. "Naruto about that…" Just as Kakashi was going to speak a ball rolled between the two of them, and they skipped apart to avoid the kids running through the snow chasing after it. Naruto laughed, his blue eyes sparkled at the sight of happy children. "I love seeing kids happy, I bet it's a lot fun to play in the snow with friends..."

Kakashi stared after the kids. He knew that Naruto had never played with other kids when he was young. It was one more thing that they had in common- neither had Kakashi.

"So what were you saying Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi turned around to see big beautiful blue eyes looking straight at him, and he was smiling, and he looked so much like his father that Kakashi just couldn't bring himself to ruin that happy smile.

"Nothing Naruto." Kakashi smiled back at him, a gentle smile that lifted the corners of his lips under the mask.

"Are you sure? You were about to..."

"It's fine, really. Let's keep going." He reached out and ruffled that spiky blond hair affectionately, before turning to walk slightly behind Naruto, tucking his book away. The snow started to fall again, and when Naruto turned around to look back at Kakashi, the sight of him made the Jounin's heart beat harder in his chest again. What Kakashi saw was a very handsome young man, his clothes and hair speckled with fresh snow. The pink in his cheeks from the chill brought out the blue in Naruto's eyes, and he was smiling so happily as he called out to him. "Come on sensei! You're falling behind."

Kakashi waved an indolent hand at the teen, dropping his head to look down at the snow-covered ground. The thing was, Kakashi did not want to go any faster because he knew what was going to happen when they got to the Hokage tower. _That smile…_that smile was going to disappear…

**Another rewritten chapter just for you, our loyal readers. Hope you enjoy how it develops the beginning of Kakashi and Naruto's relationship…we're laying a very firm foundation. Please review and let us know you like it.**

**Wow that was a long one, I fill good I have done two chapters in one day and had a great time with my girl today, I hope this chapter was good please tell me what you think about it this chapter is a big deal cause I need to know if I did a good job with Naruto and showing his feelings**

**Please review and thank you**


	6. Chapter 6

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 6**

**A Stab in the Heart**

Kakashi slowly followed Naruto up the staircase of the Hokage Tower, his mind churning with the knowledge of what was going to happen once they reached Tsunade's office. A part him knew quite logically that his former student needed to know this terrible news. That it would be better coming from the woman Naruto had adopted as his 'Baa-chan' for she was a long-time friend and teammate of the Toad Sage. _It would have been just as meaningful coming from you._ His rebellious mind informed him, and the surge of guilt that filled him was a familiar weight in his gut. Knowing that Naruto was about to find out that the man who made him strong and helped him get closer to being Hokage was dead, was a terrible burden, one that he truly didn't want to have.

_And yet, who else?_

. Kakashi knew that Jiraiya had played a significant role in the young man's life, and in a very significant way Jiraiya was also a lot like Naruto. Both Naruto and Jiraiya were undeniable knuckleheads, but both were very deadly in a fight. But, he knew, the big thing was, Jiraiya knew what it was like to have your best friend leave the village. Orochimaru had been Jiraiya's best friend, and he'd left the village with Anbu hot on his heels, moments away from persecution for the perversions he'd been visiting on Konoha's children. Jiraiya had tried to bring him back but failed, and gave up on trying ever again. Kakashi had been hoping that the Toad Sage's experience would lend itself to Naruto, so that he too, could see that trying to bring Sasuke back to Konoha was a worthless endeavour. _The spoiled ass of a boy deserved to be left all alone, just as he'd wanted to be._

Naruto cast a look behind him to see Kakashi walking more slowly than was normal even for that lazy-looking Nin, and he could tell from the few wrinkles in his sensei's forehead that he was thinking very hard. The silver-haired Jounin looked very tired and stressed out, and Naruto wondered what it was that was haunting his sensei now. His teacher kept too many things inside of himself, refusing to burden anyone else with them, and Naruto suddenly wished that he could be the one that Kakashi wanted to confide in, so he stopped walking and turned around, intending to confront the older man right on the steps of the Tower. He stopped so abruptly, Kakashi almost walked right into him, but the man was able to pull himself back to the real world before he did.

Naruto Looked up into the concerned and very focused eye of his teammate, Kakashi flinched back a step, knowing that something was truly bothering Naruto to have him staring at him like this. "Is something wrong, Naruto?" He could see those hands curl into fists at the teen's sides, and he realized that the younger man was working himself up to ask him something quite serious.

Naruto focused in on Kakashi's one eye. His sensei's eye was gray, and sometimes it was hard and flat like it was dead, but he'd realized very early on that it was how the man protected himself from being hurt emotionally, projecting an absolute indifference with that eye, the way Naruto smiled over his. He knew that Kakashi was the way he was because of his past, for he'd heard enough hints about his sensei's childhood to put it together. But, sadly, Naruto didn't know any of the details, he just knew that he wanted to help him… he wanted to make the man happy, and put the life back in that dead eye, he just didn't know how.

"Umm… Kakashi-sensei, I was thinking maybe you and I could go get something to eat after this?" Naruto ventured, still hoping to instill some life into Kakashi's dead gray eye. That did bring a smile to Kakashi 's face, though, and he looked at Naruto, a smirk curving his lips under his mask. "Always hungry, aren't you?" He teased, walking past Naruto just as the teen was going to say something else. _So is that a no?_ Naruto thought to himself.

He followed along after the taller man quietly then, holding on to the hope that his sensei would say 'yes' to his invitation, not even realizing that they'd just done the unusual and walked into the Hokage Tower _through the front door._ When they reached the empty antechamber before Baa-chan's office, his sensei stopped, his hand poised on the knob, and he turned to look at Naruto, and the teen swore he could see a slight look of apprehension, or fear, in that dark eye, and he smiled hesitatingly at the silver-haired man, a question in the sky blue of his own.

The smile the blond teen gave him and the tender awkward question in those blue eyes hit Kakashi's heart hard, for he knew the teen was about to get hurt, and that smile,as hesitant as it was, would not be there soon. He'd never understand what impulse made him do it, and he flushed under his mask the moment the thought entered his mind but what he did next Naruto never saw coming. Kakashi took his hands off the doorknob and turned to the teen, opening his arms to him and pulling him into a warm, consoling hug, just cradling him against his body with all of the tender concern that he could muster.

Naruto's first instinct was to freeze in his sensei's arms, but the feeling of warmth that came to him from the knowledge that the older man did want to touch him made a true smile come to his face. He didn't quite know what to do, surrounded by Kakashi's arms, but he knew that he loved it—loved being held with such clear, and heartfelt emotion. He'd never really even been touched by the man that much, but this one gesture made up for all of those years he'd longed for something like this.

Kakashi eased out of the hug, his heart beating a little harder from the way his former student had eagerly leaned into his touch. He knew that the teen craved affection, but he'd never had this much confirmation that it meant so much to him. As he stepped back from the blond, he slid his hands up to Naruto's shoulders and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry, Naruto." The words were more than an apology for what the teen was about to hear, they were the beginning of an admittance of what he'd failed to do with Naruto all throughout his life. Squeezing those strong shoulders one last time, he turned and opened the door, leaving the teen to stare after him in slight bewilderment.

_Sorry for what?_ Naruto asked himself, walking into the office after his sensei. He passed Kakashi where the man had propped himself against the doorframe, his gloved hands already shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. He almost turned to look at the man, but his attention was grabbed by the sight of his other teammates, Sai and Sakura, and Sakura…she was crying.

The tears were rolling down the pink-haired girl's face, and she had a tissue pressed to her cheeks to try and stop the tears, while Sai stood beside her and watched. As Naruto watched, the reticent teen reached out and patted the girl awkwardly on the shoulder, as if offering consolation, and he couldn`t help but wonder why everyone was so upset. He turned to focus on his Baa-chan, his blue eyes darkening as he took in the dark circles and sorrow on her face as well. Behind her stood Shizune, one hand curled over the Hokage's shoulder in sympathy. "What's…what's going on?"  
>His voice, hesitant and fearful, echoed through the still room, and a movement on the desk drew his attention to it. There was a toad sitting there, short and squat and dressed in a robe, and his beady, bulging eyes were staring at Naruto with deep concern. "What's going on?" He repeated his question, annoyed to hear his voice crack with anticipation.<p>

No one spoke but the toad, and he gave Naruto the once over, his black eyes examining the teen from head to foot. "So this is Jiraiya's little apprentice, eh?" He asked, with a low, questioning tone in his voice.

"Yes." Tsunade replied, and Naruto could see her physically brace herself, those amber eyes rising to meet his. "This is Naruto Uzumaki."

Calling upon a reserve of nerve that had served him well in the past, Naruto linked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his most insouciant manner, calling upon every bit of bravado he possessed. "Yep!" He crowed, giving them his biggest smile. "That's me! So what's going on?"

Tsunade was trying to stare at Naruto, but her eyes kept flickering away from his.. "Naruto, this is Fukasaku, a Toad from Mount Myoboku, and he is here to talk to you about…about..."

The toad cleared his throat and interrupted, folding its long, amphibious 'fingers' together as those black eyes narrowed on Naruto. He remembered that the Pervy Sage had told him about studying on Mount Myoboku, so he figured that this toad must know him as well. "I have unfortunate news, young man." The toad told him, leaning forward from the desktop to catch his full attention. ``Your teacher…Jiraiya-boy…he`s dead.``

**Ah, the last chapter rewritten. Soon Deathwish and I will have a new one for you, so stay tuned for an update. Thanks so much for sticking around with us. We hope you like what we`re doing-KitElizaKing**

**Well I think this chapter turned out to be good, the next chapter will be hard to do so I will be taking my time on it but I think it should be ok. Please review and tell me what you think and also how you feel about Naruto and Kakashi, Thank you guys so much -Deathwish91296**


	7. Chapter 7

**Look guys I am back and this time with my new co - Arthur KitElizaKing, also thank you guys I hit my goal 20 reviews now let's go for 30!**

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 7  
>Howl and listen<strong>

"What do you mean, Tsunade" Naruto asked in very low tone. Tsunade realized that Naruto had called her by her first name, that was not like Naruto at all and this started to worry her. Tsunade looked at Naruto; she closed her eyes while sadness crossed her face.

"Jiraiya went on a mission of founding out information about the Akatsuki."

Kakashi watched as Tsunade-sama stopped talking for a moment, searching for words. Looking at the Hokage, Some fear was could be seen on her face, Kakashi could see the problem now, _She sent him…_ Kakashi thought to himself.

Naruto bit his lower lip until it started to bleed; it was all he could do. He just wanted to be alone at the moment. As the frog was about to speak Naruto turned croving his eyes from the tears that were forming.** "damn it all!" **was the last thing they all heard as he slammed the door behind him.

"Well that's expected," Tsunade finally said, as she looked across the faces of everyone in the room. Sai nodded, who was never was good at showing emotions but for Kakashi and Sakura it was there body language.

"We should leave him alone for a while," Sakura said, "so he can clear his mind." Tsunade looked into the eyes of her student, as she saw the pain she felt watching her teammate hear the unfortunate news.

"Yes, you all are dismissed," Tsunade nodded.

Everybody started to walk out, Kakashi was one of the last ones near the door as he was about to join the rest of them in the hallway...

"Kakashi Stay…" The Hokage said in in a muffled tone

Kakashi turned around and walked to her desk, he had both hands in his pockets and knew whatever he was going to be told, it was going to make him have one long night…

**Sorry for being so short but at least it's up!**

**Deathwish and KitElizaKing.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys the next chapter is here but first a few things I would like to say, first off I have to thank all the reviewers , but I would really like to thank Zangetsu12, for the nice pm he sent me, he said that he was thankful for me to be writing this for the fans but the truth is I am a fan just like all the kakanaru fans here, **

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 8**

**Drink Away the Pain**

Kakashi was sitting on the Fourth's head like he always did when he was trying to clear his mind, or think. Off in the west, the sun was starting to set in a beautiful display of colors, showing just over the top of the great red walls…a sunset Kakashi would have normally stopped to enjoy the sight of, but he was distracted by what he'd heard from his Hokage just hours earlier. All that Kakashi could do was think about what Tsunade had told him.

'_We believe the Akatsuki are helping the Grass Country get back on its feet.' She'd said without preamble, her honey-coloured eyes looking into his with concern. When he'd indicated he didn't understand why they'd do that, she smiled, and replied: 'Come on, Kakashi, why would you help a country out of a great depression?' He'd shoved his hands into his pocket and thought about it. When the answer hadn't come immediately, Tsunade had stood, and turned to look out of her window, gazing at the village she was responsible for. Scratching the back of his head in consternation, he'd at last admitted he wasn't sure. Without turning back, she'd said: 'for the men, Kakashi, why else?'_

_Kakashi understood immediately that if the Akatsuki could get more men they could assemble their own private military force, and that would make them even more powerful. The tricky part would be earning the trust of the Grass Country while they were doing that. It was an incredibly difficult plan to pull off, and suddenly he understood what had happened to his sensei's teacher. 'You sent JIraiya-sama knowing that he might never come back if he got this Intel, didn't you?' He'd asked, and he'd heard just the smallest hint of a sob coming from the Fifth. He'd walked over and sat down on the windowsill just beside her then, saying quietly: 'He wanted you to let him go, didn't he, my lady?' _

_The Hokage had wiped uselessly at the tears and they'd continued to fall unabated. She'd sniffled, and he'd been able to see the hurt in her eyes. 'He convinced me only he could do it. I…I tried to stop him but…' He'd thought, at the time, that she'd looked better after she'd shared that sad news with him, and he'd left then, to let her grieve some more, in private._

Then, he hadn't been sure why she'd felt the need to share her sorrow with him, and he'd come here, to his favorite perch to think about it. Sometimes, he was a bit slow when it came to dealing with emotional stresses, since he really had no private life of his own. So, it took him a while to figure out that his Hokage was sharing her grief with him, because she was expecting him to help Naruto through his. Kakashi knew he had to find Naruto, but the problem was he couldn't find the teen. He'd come down from the heads and looked everywhere for him: Ichiraku's; his home; even Iruka's, but he just could not find him. Kakashi started to think seriously about where the boy could be. The sun had long set, now, and he noticed that it had started to snow. While he'd stood on the village street, thinking about where Naruto could be, he watched the snow accumulate, and the fresh, white layer of sparkling flakes just made it look beautiful. He sighed at the sight, thinking that he should go and have a drink before going back out to search for his missing student. And that's when it hit him like a rock to the head. Whenever Kakashi lost one of his important people, one of the things he would do is try to drink the pain away, and since he knew all of the bars in the village, he finally had somewhere else to search.

With a renewed sense of purpose he'd set out, hitting all of the bars, civilian and Shinobi, since he didn't figure Naruto would know the difference between them yet. At several Shinobi bars he been called on to come and join his teammates for drinks. Gai had been particularly persistent, coming over to him and draping himself across his shoulders as he went on and on about the sad news. When Kakashi had heard one too many laments about how Jiraiya had still been in 'the sweet flower of youth', he'd draped his green-clad friend over the very drunk Genma and made his escape.

He finally found Naruto in a civilian bar, a dirty little dive really, tucked into the great red walls, between the power plant and the waste facility. The shack it was in was a rickety little one-floor assembly of bamboo walls and a half-tiled roof, and Kakashi was sure the door would fall off of its hinges as he grasped a hold of it to go inside. At what passed for the bar, he spotted Naruto, his student already red-faced and unsteady, and not paying attention to the equally disreputable denizens of the establishment that seemed to have their eyes on whatever money his blond-haired comrade still had in that little, green frog-shaped coin purse he was clutching in his hand.

No one had noticed his silent entry, and his quick, almost magical appearance at Naruto's side took everyone in the bar by surprise, the thieves that had been sizing up his drunken student making prudent exits as they took in the all-too-familiar sight of one of Konoha's most famous Jounin.

"Maa, Naruto." He said, leaning over to look at that slightly sweating face. "Naruto, are you okay?" He laid one gloved hand on the teen's shoulder and shook him a little, almost sending him tumbling right off of the stool. Tightening his grip, he hauled him back onto it, and tried again. "Yo, kid." He said, using his best sensei voice. "How're you doing?"

The face that looked up at him was flushed and sweaty. Naruto's blue eyes were unfocused, and droopy, and his full-lipped mouth slightly agape. The kid was definitely past just being drunk, and well on his way to being soused. As the barkeep came over to pick up the empty glasses piled in front of the teen, Kakashi shot him an angry glare. "He's underage." He hissed. He wasn't surprised when the man only shrugged, and went away with the glasses. He understood that the man didn't care…it was all money to him, after all.

"Ka...ka...se… senzay?" Naruto slurred then, a smile trying to creep across his lips. His mouth shivered a bit, and the corners almost curled up, and Kakashi had to smile in return.

"You're drunk, Naruto." He stated calmly, his hands sliding into his pockets as was his habit. He rocked back on his heels and eyed his student. Getting the teen home wasn't going to be fun. He'd grown a lot since the last time he'd had to carry him, but he sized him up, and figured he could do it.

"S'okay, zen-zay." Naruto said, turning on the stool to face him, and almost planting himself directly into Kakashi's vest clad midsection. The Jounin caught him with one hand to the forehead and propped him back up. "M…m drinkin' fer da pervy Sage." That declaration was almost shouted, and Naruto raised a half-empty glass into the air and sloshed the rest of the cheap liquor all over himself and the dirty bar top. Immediately, the rest of the patrons in the bar raised their glasses, too, shouting out Jiraiya's name, and Naruto reacted instantly, and Kakashi recognized a pattern that had obviously been going on all night.

"S'on me!"

Cheers went all around, and the barkeep started getting out a bottle of the cheapest rotgut in the house, preparing to take advantage of Naruto's inebriated generosity once more, and Kakashi wondered just how long this had been going on. He picked up the green froggy purse and weighed it thoughtfully, realizing that there was almost nothing left inside. He leveled a glare at the man as he was about to start pouring, and made just one gesture towards his weapons pouch to let the man know that he wouldn't be allowing him to do that, and the bottle abruptly disappeared. When the other patrons muttered their disappointment, another one-eyed glare took care of them, too.

"Wha'cha doin', Kaka…Ka…ka…zen'ay?" The blurry blue eyes tried to focus on him, and Kakashi could see that his student was just half-a-drink away from passing out completely. He leaned down so he could dominate Naruto's attention and said: "I'm about to take you home, Naruto. You've had a bit too much to drink."

The smile that spread over that flushed face was goofy, and yet Kakashi could see a pleased look that came into those sky-coloured eyes. "'Kay!" The teen chirped, and lurched towards the Jounin, this time actually managing to do a face-plant into the man's vest.

Kakashi placed his palm against the sweaty forehead yet again, feeling the metal plate of Naruto's hitai-ate bite into his skin. He pushed Naruto back until he was balancing precariously on the stool once more, and then he turned his back to the teen, and bumped the stool with his hand, tipping his student forward, catching him piggy-back style as he fell onto him. Standing up as best he could, the boneless form of the teen draped over him, he adjusted the weight of the sturdy body and started out of the bar, giving the patrons his best _don't screw with me_ glare, and was gratified to see them look away in fear.

Outside, the fresh, cool air, revived Kakashi, and he resettled Naruto on his back so that he could start walking towards the teen's apartment. For a long time they travelled in silence, and he thought that his student had perhaps passed out, but suddenly the kid blurted out: "M'gonna miss pervy guy. E' was m'frend."

"I know, Naruto." Kakashi replied softly, his voice sad. "I'll miss him, too. He was my sensei's teacher, you know."

"Din know tha'." Naruto sighed, nuzzling his face into the warmth of his sensei's neck. Something in his befuddled mind was insisting that the other man smelled good. Of course, that came straight out of his mouth immediately. "Sssmell good, zen..sen..zay."

He grinned at that, his mouth curling up under his mask, and he bit back laugh. "Thanks, Naruto, you drunk, you."

"S'true." The teen insisted, his arms tightening around Kakashi's neck, and the Jounin felt the hot exhalation of Naruto's breath on his nape, and a shiver shot down his spine. "Okay, Naruto, I believe you." He swore then that he could feel those full lips curve into a smile against his skin just behind his ear and another shudder rocked him. _What was going on with him? _Carrying his drunk student home was one thing, but _feeling_ like this from a few touches was something else entirely. Now Kakashi was feeling entirely unsettled.

Luckily he'd reached the stairs up to Naruto's apartment, and he climbed them without complaint, glad he was going to be rid of the teen soon. Kakashi needed to go home and do some serious thinking. He didn't often get surprised by anything, but his reaction to Naruto needed some careful consideration.

Unlocking the kid's door with the key from the coin purse, he carried Naruto inside, and was seriously tempted to just dump the boy on the sorry stuffed thing that he had for a couch, but he relented and finished walking to the bed. Turning, he let go of his student's thighs and was unprepared when the arms around his neck didn't let go and he was hauled down on top of the teen on the bed. "Loove you, Kaka senn'ay." The boy slurred, and a wet, open-mouthed kiss left a damp spot on Kakashi's mask just to the left of his mouth. Something jarred in him again, and he abruptly disengaged himself from those clutching arms, and stood back. He waited for Naruto to say more, but the next sound was a snore, and he realized that the kid had finally succumbed to the drink in his system.

_What the hell was that?_

For a moment he was frozen, and then he passed a slightly-shaking hand through his messy silver hair and sighed. _That was just your drunken student, Kakashi you idiot. What are you worrying about?_ And with a grunt of acknowledgement, he turned around and left, leaving Naruto's froggy purse on his table and locking the door after him. 

**Alright guys that's it for this chapter, please review it keeps us going and helps us want to write more for you! Thanks again**

**Deathwish91296 and , KitElizaKing**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright people here is the next chapter. Sadly we did not get a lot of reviews last chapter and that made us very sad. So let's make that different this time. Hope you guys had a good Easter!**

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 9**

**Picture Perfect**

_HIs poor body… the whole right side was crushed, there was no way he could feel it. The blood was slowly oozing out of his mouth and nose, staining the ashen skin…This was his fault entirely. If he'd gone with him to save her he wouldn't have lost his eye and he would have seen the rock falling towards them. But he didn't… and now, he was going to lose a comrade. He looked up at the sky, anger and sorrow and guilt filling him, and with all his force he screamed:_

_**OBITO!**_

Kakashi jerked awake, rising up in his bed fast, sweating and breathing very hard. He slowly put his hand over his left eye, _no,_ his friend's eye, Obito's greatest gift to him, and a daily reminder of his worst nightmare…. the Sharingan.

He looked out the window and saw the position of the sun, and he knew he's slept in late; Kakashi always woke up before sunrise. He slowly got up and got himself ready to go, but as he did all he could think about was that day.

When he was finally ready he went to the nightstand where his old team picture was. God, he missed them. He slowly picked the picture up and looked at it. _'I try to make it_ _through my life without thinking about you guys. I try to make it through these lies, that's all I do. I am sorry. I wish I could bring all of you back. I have failed all of you.' _Replacing the picture on his nightstand, Kakashi let his dark thoughts fade. But, when he walked out the door to see the snow slowly dropping from the sky, he remembered the blond teen, and last night popped into his mind.

_"Loove you, Kaka senn'ay." _The boy had told him, but that wasn't the part that got him. The kiss… Naruto had kissed him last night. And, as much as Kakashi just wanted to think that it didn't mean anything because he was drunk, he just couldn't bring himself to do that… '_I mean he was hurt, he lost the best person in his life… he just wants to let people know that he cares about them… right?"_ There was a part of Kakashi that really wanted that to be true, but another part of him didn't.

Naruto rolled in his bed, stretching and yawning as he opened sleep-gritted eyes. There was a dirty, nasty taste in his mouth, and a ringing in his ears that made his head hurt a little. He smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to try to get rid of the taste, but knew he'd have to brush his teeth to make it go away. "Bleah…" He finally whined, remembering the cause, and the sorrow that had driven him to drinking in the first place. A sadness filled him then, and the images of the three years he'd spent learning from the Pervy Sage filled his mind. He didn't want to cry again, he'd done his fair share of that last night while he'd been pouring that disgusting tasting stuff down his throat. Crying and cheering and drinking, he didn't have much memory of last night beyond that.

Sighing, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and headed towards the bathroom, staggering a bit as his head swam. A hot shower and a long session of brushing his teeth sounded just about right, and when he came out of the bedroom a half-an-hour later he felt cleaner, though his head was still swimming, and hungry.

The wasn't anything in his kitchen cupboard but instant ramen, and he really had been trying to eat better, having promised both the Pervy Sage and Kakashi-sensei that he would. Naruto sighed then, and a mischievous grin curled up his lips. "Well, what can you do when this it all you have?" And he put his kettle on to boil.

The ramen was steeping, and Naruto was keeping watch over it, inhaling the delicious smell of the noodles and salt, when he heard two short raps at his door. Laying his chopsticks over the lid, he got up from his chair and went to answer it.

Opening the door, Naruto stood in his little front hall and could not believe who he saw-two days in a row his sensei, the Copycat Ninja, was at his door.

"Yo, may I come in?" Kakashi gave Naruto his lazy, one-eyed grin, the gray eye curving upwards in greeting.

Naruto didn't say anything, he just stepped to the side and held the door open so his sensei could come in. Kakashi walked in and went right to the unmade bed and sat down on it. He folded his hands across his chest and looked down at his feet. Closing the door, Naruto felt the combination of headache and empty stomach hit him, and he swayed a bit on his feet, before making it over to his little kitchen to seat himself back at his table and pull the lid of his finished breakfast.

Hearing that familiar sound, Kakashi looked up, and saw Naruto's blood shot eyes. _'He has had a hard morning.'_ He thought to himself, he could still see the grief and sadness in the teen's face even now. He felt like he needed to say something to Naruto, to help him cope, and he chose the first thing he could think of. "Hard to believe he's gone." He said, catching Naruto's hurt red eyes with his one. He saw Naruto nod his agreement with his words, and he searched for something else to say. "Jiraiya was a fine man, and an excellent Shinobi." Another nod, and Naruto went back to slurping up his noodles.

Kakashi was reaching now, and so he fell back onto his best line of offense. "He wrote some really great books, too." That got a snort and an eye-roll from his student, and Kakashi felt that he and Naruto had perhaps finished talking about the Toad Sage for the moment, so he wanted to let the teen know how he felt about what he'd done last night.

"You know Naruto what you did last night was not smart. You are too young to be drinking alcohol. Not to mention, you're under the legal drinking age."

Naruto looked up at this. He'd been studiously staring at his feet ever since Kakashi started talking about drinking, and now his tanned skin flushed with a little touch of embarrassment. "I know, I am sorry." His voice was soft, and when he met Kakashi's gaze a part of his face heated up a little bit more. A small fragment of memory was swimming around in his head, and it made him look wonderingly at his sensei. But Kakashi was looking at him with an expression of such compassionate sympathy in that single eye that Naruto found he couldn't ask his sensei if what he was remembering was true. So he looked back down at his almost empty cup instead.

Kakashi had been watching the array of emotions that crossed that expressive face, seeing the clouds of hurt, and then wonder, come and go in those sky-blue eyes. A part of him wanted to know what his student had just been thinking of. Did he feel remorseful because he drank himself into a stupor? Or was it the passing of Jiraiya…or did a bit of what he'd said and done last night just shake loose inside of that slightly muddled brain? Kakashi chose to go with the simpler of the three, and he gave the teen an understanding shrug.

Something about the way Kakashi was so accepting of his failures, of his need to mourn the old Sage in his own manner made the sorrow inside of Naruto crack wide open again, and a slow, building shudder started in his body. He could feel the hot swell of tears prickling in his eyes, and his shoulders slowly rolled in on him as the overwhelming need to cry filled him up. There was a sound from his bed then, and Naruto looked over at his sensei and saw him gently pat the mattress beside him…a clear invitation for Naruto to come and cry beside him.

At this, Naruto walked over to the bed and sat down next to Kakashi, leaning into the warm strength of his sensei as the tears slowly started rolling down his cheeks. The shudders began in his body, shaking him, and he couldn't hold back the sobs as he mourned for his teacher with an achingly deep pain inside of him. Slowly, he curled around into Kakashi's arms, tucking his face into the crook of the other man's neck, inhaling the reassuring scent of dog and weapons oil that always seemed to linger around the man. It felt soothing, and familiar, and he felt safe enough to let out all of his pain.

Kakashi put his arms around the teen, holding him close as Naruto buried his face in Kakashi's vest. Sliding a hand up into that soft blond hair, he pressed Naruto closer to him and just held him, feeling the sobs shudder through the teen's body… he knew this was the best he could do at him right now. Reassure him that not everyone had left him. Under the sound of the sobbing, Kakashi could hear the broken, gasping whisper, his student endlessly repeating just three words: _Its not fair…its not fair…its not fair…_

_No, Naruto…_ he thought to himself, still rocking that shaking body, keeping the boy as close as he could._ Its not fair. But I'm here, and I'll never leave you._ And something..something inside of Kakashi broke open at the thought of it. He wanted to be there for Naruto , to be his anchor and his strength. To always be able to motivate and protect him. To be by his side no matter what. The intensity of this newfound dedication surprised him, and Kakashi smiled wryly under his mask, even as he murmured words of consolation to the teen.

_Don't you worry, Naruto. _The words were his own private dedication to this one special teen that he'd grown so attached to. He cradled the solid, warm body to his, pressing his masked cheek to the soft blond hair. _You'll always have me. Everything's going to be okay._

**That's it, we will soon start the training, so please and I mean please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello guys, we are back! Big note for this story at the bottom please R&R. Thank you and enjoy**

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 10**

**To lie here under you**

_Rain fell, warm and soaking like the tears of a mourning Kami, inundating the Land of Grass and making all of the broad stretches of the slender greenery that gave that country its name bow under the weight of the falling water. Here and there, stands of thick trees interrupted the flow of the grass, like leaf-topped push pins holding it down, and it was from within one of those stands of straight, wooden pins that a man kept his post, waiting and watching._

_He was watching a village. The village, like the trees, seemed to exist only to anchor the waving grasses to the ground, there didn't seem to be any other reason for them. From what he could see they weren't flourishing, but rotting. The wooden buildings were deteriorating under the endless onslaught of the water and the wind. It was a poor country, but that was why he was here. To see what that needful poverty had attracted. Every move the people of the village made he saw, patiently waiting to see one of 'them', and after hours of waiting that patience finally paid off. _

_The man he saw had long blond hair that hung in a sweep over one eye, some of the rest of it pulled back into a tail. Not much more about him was remarkable, other than that the man could only see what he needed to see- a long dark coat with red clouds, red lining, and a chin-high collar. __**He**__ was one of them. One of the ones he'd been ordered to find. _

_So many different emotions were running through the body of the patient man, and he raked his fingers through hair the colour of the trees. This unimpressive man was part of the group that had taken down the Great Sage. The desire to strike and avenge that loss was almost overwhelming, but he restrained it. 'No…' He told himself. 'I must stay focused, for here I am the eyes of Konoha.'_

_The young Shinobi in the trees looked back at his target, but when he did the irises of the blond man's eyes met his, and the Leaf shinobi felt his heart still: The young man was pretty much staring at the face of death, the rotten core of the apple. The blond man smiled a smile only the devil himself could smile and before the Shinobi could do anything he was on his back, looking right up into eyes of black and red—the spinning tomoe of two Sharingan. The blacked-haired man above him put his foot on his throat, widening his eyes, and almost immediately the young man started losing the feeling in his body. He began to slowly cough up blood that splattered against the inside of his white mask and over his face. To his left, the young man saw one of the weapons that had fallen from his pouch when he'd been pinned to the wet ground, and for one hopeful second he started thinking of a plan just as the black-haired man spoke up._

"_So young, a life wasted to try and get information on us…" _

_The young Shinobi knew he was in a fight for his life now. This man had been an Anbu at 13. He'd recognized him immediately. He'd had to study his story last year when he'd become an Anbu, and he knew that he was one of a kind. "Why are you doing this?" The Leaf Shinobi asked, as more blood poured out of his mouth. The black-haired man laughed before answering. "Your village should have learned by now- we will burn this whole world down." _

_At his words the young man made one last attempt to survive this encounter, he made ready with a desperate plan. "Kami help you, you greedy bastard!" He shouted, coughing out that last bit of blood in his mouth and shoving hard at the foot compressing his neck, he managed to dislodged the traitorous man above him and he rolled backward, making the black haired man jump back so he wouldn't fall. Throwing off his bloodied mask, he grasped that weapon he'd seen earlier and leapt to the attack, with only this last act of hope between him and certain death… _

Kakashi opened his one eye to see a ceiling he wasn't familiar with. Puzzled, he started to look around before registering a weight on his chest that he wasn't used to , either. When he looked down very familiar spiky, blond hair tickled his masked chin and he saw Naruto sound asleep, his former student curled around his body as they both laid back on Naruto's bed. _Ahhh, he must have cried both me and himself to sleep._ He thought, his one gray eye wandering over the smooth forehead and the tip of a pert nose he could see past that wealth of sunshine-y hair. He kept looking at the teen; the light coming in from the window was lighting up his hair perfectly, creating gold from those yellow strands. Kakashi couldn't help himself- he took off one of his gloves and ran his fingers through that soft, blond hair, rubbing his fingers affectionately against the teen's scalp.

"Crying yourself to sleep is better than drinking yourself into oblivion, I suppose." He chided the sleeping young man lightly, a slight smile curling his lips under his mask. It would be nice to stay here all day, the warmth and solid presence of his ex-student on top of him a reassurance of the bond that they shared together. He was happy that he'd been here for Naruto when he'd needed him, and his hand travelled down over that slim, strong back, and he made gentle little circles just in the centre of it….just enough to ensure that the exhausted teen stayed asleep as he made his getaway. For all that he was enjoying it, it wasn't appropriate for him to be _this close_ to Naruto, no matter how good it felt.

_Especially if it felt that good._

With much careful maneuvering Kakashi got out from being under Naruto and retrieved a blanket from his closet to put over him. Once he was satisfied that the teen was sleeping soundly, he made a thorough investigation of the kitchen and he saw that there wasn't much food left… and when he meant 'not much' he should have said none, for all that Naruto had left was some of that very salty instant ramen that wasn't good for anyone, let alone a growing, young Shinobi. _Time, then, for a shopping trip. _ Kakashi decided, and he tiptoed from the apartment after taking one last look at the sleeping teen, making sure he didn't wake the blond as left his apartment to go and get some good food for him.

Shopping at Shinobi speed meant that it didn't take long for Kakashi to get the food. He ignored the amazed faces as he went about the village like a whirlwind, his speed and focus so out of character for his everyday life that most of the villagers just stopped and stared as the powdery snow swirled around in his wake. But Kakashi ignored the astonished looks, and the suspicious glances, and went about his chore, buying a basket of assorted fruits, imported from the Sand Country, and some noodles and meat. The store he went to always had the best produce and meat, its prices neither too high or too low, and he loaded the basket, making sure to get everything a young man needed to be strong. As he was going to the checkouts he remembered the milk, and soon a carton had joined the other groceries in that bulging basket, and he was on his way back to Naruto's place.

Returning to the still blessedly quiet teen's apartment, he came in through the window to make sure he didn't wake him and Kakashi was somewhat happy to see he still had the stealth skills sufficient to move about Naruto's apartment without disturbing the teen's slumber. He put the basket on the floor so he could clean the table of the ramen that the boy'd had this morning. When he was done, he placed the basket on the table and walked over to the bed, getting down on one knee to look at that sweet, calmly sleeping face.

A warm ache rose into his chest as Kakashi watched the gentle rise and fall of Narutos' breaths. His keen gray eye traced the curve of the closed eyelids and the thick golden lashes, lingering over the blushing cheekbones and slightly parted lips. The pang that gripped him as he looked there, at the way Naruto's lips moved as he breathed made Kakashi's heart feel all aflutter too, and he couldn't help but think that his former student looked so much younger when he slept. _Much too young for an old man like me._ It was a thought that shook a little sense back into him, and he stood up slowly, withdrawing back into his own mind, and took his leave of the apartment quietly , lost to his own thoughts.

Kakashi left that room though the window as he'd entered, going down the stairs much more slowly than his normal pace. He was normally known for being a lazy Jounin, a Shinobi that didn't rush or hurry unless he was on a mission that demanded it. But the way he strolled through Konoha that afternoon, especially after his antics in the morning, announced his absent-mindedness loudly. To those who knew him, the biggest giveaway was the absence of the ubiquitous little orange book he was rarely seen without-it was nowhere to be seen, and Kakashi's empty hands spent all of those long afternoon hours buried in his pockets as he strolled around the village.

It was inevitable that he end up on top of the mountain, at the grave marker that he visited everyday. For hours his mind had been studiously trying to not think about how his young, blond-haired former-student was causing chaos inside of him. The time he'd spent this morning, holding Naruto as he'd broken down and grieved for Master Jiraiya had opened up feelings in him that he'd never known before. And the sight of him sleeping, so vulnerable and…_beautiful…_

An overwhelming protectiveness that more than just that of sensei for student—much more than that he'd feel for a friend, even a good friend like Gai, rose up inside of him, choking him in the best way possible.

"What am I going to do, sensei?" He murmured, his eyes unerringly finding Minato's name on the Memorial Stone. "Your son has captured me somehow. I can't think of anything else but _him._" Going down on his haunches before the stone, Kakashi leaned his head against the cool stone, trying to find some resolution inside of himself for the feelings that were claiming him. "Kami." He sighed after several minutes. "I'm too old for this 'love' stuff."

Reaching out with one finger, he traced the Fourth's name on the stone, vivid memories of his time as a student filling his head. He remembered Kushina being pregnant with Naruto, and the way her belly grew out so big and round. Never had he imagined that he might later feel what was inside of him for that unborn child…that he would come to care for that little boy in the way that was warming his heart even now. But…there wasn't anything that he could change now, he'd pledged himself to the blond. Made himself the type of vow that he could never break...he'd sworn that he would always be by Naruto's side, and after thinking about nothing else for the last few hours, he couldn't imagine ever being anywhere else.

Rolling, murmuring, Naruto came awake to the sound of someone knocking incessantly at his door. "Go'way." He cried out, unwilling to open his eyes to the light streaming in through his window. "M'sleepin'." For the first time in the last two days he felt warm and secure, and his heart was at peace after losing his Pervy Sage. Curled on his side, he had a definite impression that he'd been sharing his bed with someone else, someone that had made him feel that warmth and security that was beckoning him to stay right where he was.

_Kakashi-sensei._

The memory of the morning, and of crying against his sensei's shoulder until he'd fallen asleep came back sharp and clear, and blue eyes shot open to stare at his ceiling as he flushed a bright, embarrassed red. _He'd fallen asleep on his teacher, and he thought…he was pretty sure, his teacher had fallen asleep with him!_ Starting, Naruto shot up on his bed and looked around, just for a moment thinking that perhaps the silver-haired Jounin was still with him, and still sleeping soundly beside him. When his bed proved to be empty, the teen couldn't quite explain the pang of disappointment that came and went, nor the slight pout that pursed his lips when he found that he was quite alone in the small apartment he called home.

"_**Naruto! I know you're in there—come answer the damned door!"**_

Sakura's best-pissed off voice called him from his thoughts, and he scrambled from the blanket that covered him in response to the irritation he could hear in his teammate's tone. With a muffled groan, he fell to the floor, his legs wound up in that blanket, one that he normally kept in his closet, and for just a second his eyes warmed as he considered that his teacher had gone to the trouble of covering him before he left. It kind of erased some of the disappointment that he'd been feeling…an emotion that was wiped away entirely when he saw the basket of food Kakashi had left for him on his table, and he had to stop for a moment to stare at even as he heard Sakura beginning to rattle hard at the doorknob.

"_**For pity's sake, Naruto!" **_She screeched from the other side of the door, making Naruto's hair stand even more on end. _**"Come answer this door before I punch it open!"**_

"All right, all right!" He shouted back, shoving the fingers of one hand through his unruly hair, he tromped over to his door and unlocked it, opening it far enough to let his pink-haired teammate in. "I was sleeping Sakura, I'm sorry it took so long."

Naruto frowned at the young woman, taking in her winter gear; the long black leggings and the bright red coat with the bit of white fur trim. Sakura looked…_cute_, but he wasn't feeling the need today to fall all over her and tell her how nice she looked. **He** wasn't feeling the need today to do any of that. "What do you want, Sakura?" He asked her, his voice over-tired, and full of exasperation. He started to put away the food that Kakashi had left for him as he awaited her answer. The day that had started so poorly, and turned into something wonderful, was now becoming somewhat annoying again. "I don't mean to be rude, or anything, but…I'm not feeling so good and…"

"It's no wonder." Sakura's green eyes were full of warm sympathy, and she came close enough to Naruto to put an empathetic hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry about Jiraiaya-sama, Naruto. I know how much he meant to you."

The anger that had been growing in Naruto eased a little, and he actually gave his friend a little smile. Sakura was his friend now. The crush he'd had on her had slowly, but surely, turned into the love he had for all of his friends. He didn't know quite when it had happened, but he was good with it, he realized. Good with having fallen out of love with the ideal he'd once worshipped, and with embracing the reality that he knew now. "Thanks, Sakura-chan." He responded, giving her one of his beaming, close-mouthed smiles. "I really appreciate you telling me that."

Stowing the last of the food in his refridgerator, Naruto put the empty basket neatly on the floor beside his door, thinking he could use it for his shopping, too. He turned on an impulse, his blue eyes finding his friend's green ones. "Hey, Sakura, did you want to go for a walk with me? I'd like to get out of my apartment for a while. Get some fresh air, y'know?" He was feeling a little stifled, like he'd been still too long, and he needed to move.

"Sure, Naruto. I'd like that." She gave him an answering smile, and waited patiently for him to gather up his orange and black winter coat and gloves, and put on his boots before walking with him to the door. Once he made sure his door was locked, they went down the stairs together, talking really about nothing, but the weather and the snow, and how blue the sky was this afternoon. The unimportant conversation eased Naruto's heart, and he was having a good time with Sakura until that hard-to-ignore, easy-to-identify voice came ululating through the air towards them.

"Sakura-chan! Naruto-kun!" Lee's distinctive, high-pitched cadence rolled in the winter air, seeming to bounce off of each individual snowflake and multiply accordingly. Naruto turned, winced, and had to close his eyes at the sight of his friend wearing thicker, longer leg warmers, and a rather familiar-looking jacket that resembled nothing more than Guy-sensei's Jounin vest. Sometimes Lee did really carry his hero worship too far.

"Hey, Bushy-brows." Naruto smiled. Rock Lee might be strange and loud, and really, really enthusiastic, but he had a good heart, and he was a loyal friend. "How are you doing today?"

"I am fine, Naruto-kun, but I wanted to express my sympathies for the loss of the Great Toad Sage. He was a great and youthful warrior, right to the end." Lee made one quick move, and suddenly Naruto found himself gathered up into his friend's embrace, the strength of those Taijutsu-trained muscles nearly cracking his ribs.

"Ay, ay…thanks Bushy-brows." Naruto wheezed, feeling the heat of the blood in his face as the air was squeezed right out of him. When he was released, he fell to a heap on the ground, the cold snow instantly freezing his butt. "You've got to learn how to do things with a little last enthusiasm, Lee." He groused, picking himself up and wiping the snow from his behind. "Right, Sakura?"

There was a hesitation and then a mutter, and Naruto's head whipped around to see Sakura slowly backing away from the two of them, her green eyes filled with something akin to fear as she looked into the eager dark eyes of Rock Lee. "Ohhh, Sakura-chan…" Lee crooned. "You look so beautiful today in your red jacket. That white trim sets off your loveliness to your youthful advantage."

"Uh, thanks, Lee." Sakura managed to say, looking at Naruto, begging, her green eyes getting bigger and more pleading as the seconds passed. She was still backing away, her whole posture rigid as Lee closed in on her.

"Will you go out with me, Sakura-chan? Let me treat you to dinner? Or a movie? It would be my honour to do so."

"Um, uh, Lee." Naruto could hear his teammate swallow from where he was standing and he knew that Sakura was yet again going to shoot Bushy-brow's down. He wished suddenly, that she would give him a chance. Lee might be annoying sometimes, but he was better for her than…Naruto had to stop and swallow hard, his thoughts having gone to their missing teammate. _Sasuke-teme_.

It was his one big failure. The loss of Sasuke, and his own inability to bring him back were weighing on him now, and he felt his throat close up as his memories of his dark-haired friend overwhelmed him. Tears rose back into Naruto's eyes, and he turned away from his friends as he tried to blink them back. "Um, guys…" He said, keeping his back turned, not wanting to look at them. "I think I'll…I think I'll just be going now."

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, and he could almost _feel_ the two of them staring at him, their eyes drilling holes into his back. "What's wrong? How can I help?"

"You can't help Sakura!" Naruto almost snapped his reply at her, his temper coming close to the surface in response to his feelings of failure and loss. "No one can…I, I just need to be alone, that's all."

Squaring his shoulder, and walking away was a little impolite, but Naruto was feeling selfish enough, and sorry enough for himself that he did it anyways. Behind him, he heard Lee start to call out his name, and he prepared himself for the over-the-top lecture that was about to follow, but Sakura shut him up in an instant by telling him she'd go for a walk with him, and in spite of himself Naruto had to smile at that. _Good._ He thought, just feeling a little less self-pity, and a little more gratitude. _Maybe she'd find out what a great guy Bushy-Brows really is. Way better for her than…__**him**_.

Sasuke. Pervy Sage. There didn't seem to be any end to the list of people that he was going to lose. Closing his eyes against the thought, Naruto could feel the sting of the tears returning to his eyes. He didn't want to cry again, at least not out in the open where everyone could see him. He started to walk faster, and he eventually broke into a run, finding his way blindly back to his apartment, and unlocking his door without a conscious thought, just needing to find somewhere to let the tears go in private.

He closed the door and turned around, sliding down to the floor, he let his head thunk back against the wooden panels, and he started to cry in earnest. No matter what he did or tried to do, he couldn't protect the people he cared about. First Sasuke- that idiot teme, and then Jiraiya… he didn't have that many precious people left. That many people that he considered most precious. He wanted to curl up in a ball and draw all of his misery into him, and not move again. How painful would it be to just sit here and cry, and let out all of the sorrow that had filled him again?

And so he did. He sat there and cried, and cried, until he felt numb. But the numbness couldn't drive away the restlessness that had made him run home, and as his tears slowly were coming to an end, he had to get up, and go out again…to walk aimlessly and without focus, to just be in the cold and the snow and be alone with his sorrow.

As he walked the streets of Konoha alone, he didn't take any notice that night had fallen, and he didn't even realize it was snowing. If people were staring at him he didn't notice, for there was nothing inside of him right now that really cared. For the first time in his life he didn't care. Naruto didn't know where he was going or why. He didn't ask himself these things- he was just walking, and before he knew it he was in front of a building that he was very familiar with, and he felt his cheeks heat up as he realized where his wanderings had led him. Kakashi's apartment building.

Naruto really didn't know why he'd come here, he didn't know why he hadn't stopped thinking about Kakashi today, and the way that his sensei had consoled him, and held him…and even slept with him. Was there something wrong with that? Wrong with wanting to be near his sensei at a time like this? He pondered that thought, scratching at the back of his head with one hand as he looked up at Kakashi's door. _What did it matter?_ He asked himself, beginning to climb up the stairs. _What did it matter what anyone else thought, really? _Because Naruto didn't…he didn't care. Because deep down, at this moment in time…he just wanted to be nearer to that one precious person that he felt safe with…

With Kakashi.

**That's is it for this chapter. First I would like to say that we are both sorry for taking time away from the story, but things came up and our lives come first. The next chapter to me means a lot and I going to work very hard on it. I would like to thank all the reviewers for reviewing and also toolazytologin who sent me a story. I would like to ask you guys to check out animephoenixt story called "The Dilemma of the Kitsune's Solitude" it is really good and has a nice dark feel to it. Also check out the writer named JeffreeYaoi he does more than just Naruto also. I am still thinking about re writing the other chapters.**

**Thank you guys please R&R. chapter 11 will start getting worked on next weekend**


	11. Chapter 11

**Note at the bottom!**

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 11**

**Take a Breath, and Softly Say Goodbye**

_I feel a million miles away_

_still you connect me in your way_

_and you created me_

_something I would've never seen-__**be somebody by TFK**_

Kakashi was doing the one thing he hated to do the most: paperwork. Writing it wasn't the problem, unknown to most people because of the lack of effort he usually put forth, Kakashi was a very good writer. Being an avid reader meant that he understood the written word, and was quite good at putting it to paper. His whole life he'd been reading—all types of books, like '_Art of War'_, or '_The Prince_', and of course, '_Icha-Icha Paradise'- _Kakashi had read them and appreciated them all. And in reading all of those books Kakashi himself had become a good writer. The problem was, he just didn't want to do it.

Paperwork was the worst part of being a team leader, there was no doubt about it. Especially on his team. Sai was too emotionally constipated to write an adequate, comprehensive review of what happened, and Sakura was too busy with the reports she had to write for the hospital, so that left only him, Yamato or Naruto, and there was only so many times he could get away with convincing his kohai to write the reports for him before the other man wised up. That left Naruto, and while the blond teen had made terrific strides in responsibility and control, the younger man still couldn't write a succinct paragraph to save his life.

Kakashi leaned back from the table, a smile curling his lips under that black mask, and looked up at the ceiling to rest his eye from all of the tedious detail on the paper. He felt tired. He didn't have the quick recovery time he used to have, and not much more than a few weeks ago he'd had a hard time getting his eye to focus while reading his '_Icha-IchaTactics_' after a long, trying mission, and had to put the book away to rest his eye.

That had been a difficult feeling- the sudden acknowledgement that age was not his friend—not anymore. Imagine…the 'great' Copy- cat Ninja having a hard time seeing the words on a piece of paper. Sighing deeply, as if he were drawing that breath from the very depths of his soul, Kakashi looked down at the table, his brain wanting to freeze up in rejection of how disorganized it was with forms and files and scrolls. There were papers everywhere, but dominating all of that mess was a folder, the biggest he had ever laid an eye on, and it concerned another thing that was preoccupying his brain these days. Kakashi leaned forward to pick it up, reading the name on it with his one gray eye: _Uzumaki Naruto—Confidential_.

_Naruto…_ Kakashi slid the fingers of his left hand over the cover of the file as he thought back to when he'd gotten it. The Fifth had passed it over to him when they'd been left alone after Naruto had found out about Jiraiya's death. '_Take some time to look at this.' Tsunade had said, holding out one of the thickest folders Kakashi had ever seen. He'd reached for it reluctantly, already knowing instinctively what name he'd find upon it. 'Naruto.' He'd drawled, hiding his reluctance in the lazy cadence of his voice. ' Why do I need this, Hokage-sama? I know him very well…Maa, have you forgotten he's on my team?' Tsunade had glared at him, the displeasure in her dark gold eyes threatening death if she heard anymore sass. 'It was written by Jiraiya, brat, and it's everything he observed about Naruto and worked with him on. And, it's whatever information he'd managed to gather on the seals and the Nine Tails.' _

_Those words…rocking back on his heels, Kakashi'd held the folder in his hands, and lost himself in a memory of that terrible night. He could still recall with perfect physical clarity how he'd ran over the dead bodies of his comrades and heard the awful wet crunch of their bones crushing under his feet, and all the while the demon had raged and ravaged, its roars shaking the very trees that lent Konoha its name. It had sent shivers down his spine, those memories of the first time he'd seen the Nine Tailed Demon, and it had taken Tsunade's authoritative voice to pull him from that immersive recollection. 'Kakashi…' Those amber eyes had been focused on him with concern, and he'd offered her a half-smile that had curved his eye unconvincingly. 'Yes, Hokage-sama.' He'd replied, and they'd both decided to not mention his momentary lapse. 'Kakashi, the day after tomorrow will be Jiraiya's memorial service, I trust that you know what to do.' _

_Know what to do. Oh, yes…he'd known what he had to do. Stand by Naruto, and offer him his support._

'_And, brat… don't forget the Third's Law.'_

Even now Kakashi chafed at the mention of that may have agreed that it had been necessary when Naruto had been a child, but now that he was a young man, and a powerful Shinobi in his own right, he was coming to believe that it was time for the teen to know exactly where he'd come from. Time for him to know his parents and his heritage. He dropped the folder back where he'd picked it up from, the sour taste in his mouth rising in response to his thoughts. Realizing that he was immensely sick of the paperwork and his own mind, he stood, slowly stretching out the achingly stiff muscles he'd earned from sitting so long.

The short walk to his kitchenette to get a cup for some tea occupied him only until he looked up and caught sight of the picture of his old Genin team. Perhaps he'd been too much inside of his own thoughts lately…lost too much in his thoughts about Naruto and love, and the conundrum of the relationship he seemed to want with his blond-haired teammate. It didn't seem strange to him to be thinking of Rin now, as his eye met hers in the photograph. She was the last teammate he'd fallen in love with, so setting down his cup to go over and pick up that picture seemed like a natural thing to do.

_Rin._ His first true love. The first love of a teen that hadn't ever known what that word truly meant. He'd never forgotten how he lost her, how that chance for love was taken from him before it had the opportunity to bloom into something more. He'd failed her…failed to keep his sworn vow to Obito to protect her. The Uchiha had loved her. Obito so smitten with the quick-witted girl that one of his last requests had been that Kakashi would always take care of her. And he had. And it hadn't taken very long at all for him to fall for her just as Obito had, the love for the vivacious young Kunoichi filling him up.

In the brief year after Obito's death, so much had changed for Kakashi and Rin. The war had demanded their quick ascension to the ranks of the Anbu, and they'd formed a team with a new Shinobi, Tenzo, who'd been nothing more than a child himself. But the kid had an ability that was rare, and knew how to use it, and not for the first time in that desperate war had a child been sent out to kill. What a team they were though, children promoted too young in a time of conflict. Kakashi, as senior Jounin and new wielder of the Sharingan, was the leader, he had guided them to many successful missions, his combination of ruthlessness and practicality eking out wins that other teams couldn't have touched. And every moment he'd spent with Rin had only strengthened his feelings for her…for her lively spirit and caring heart. Finally, he'd gotten up his courage to declare his love, egged on by Tenzo, who 'd teased his quiet senpai relentlessly until he'd said he'd do it. But on the night he'd decided to take her out and tell her, they were assigned an emergency mission and they'd been on the hunt before midnight, chasing down a traitor-nin, carrying Leaf village secrets away from Konoha.

It hadn't taken long for Kakashi's team to find the traitor, and they were embroiled in a bloody knockdown fight almost immediately, the three of them surprised by the knowledge and trickery of that older nin. Tenzo fell to a lightning-style jutsu that splintered through his Mokuton shielding and knocked him cold. Kakashi and Rin fought on, the silver-haired teen using his Chidori to awesome effect, inflicting a damaging wound that had the more experienced Shinobi hobbling before he was thrown by a strike jutsu that made his head ring. When he'd shaken some sense back into his aching head a horrified shout left his lips as he took in the sight of his Rin, held by a knife to the neck, and the awful sneering sight of the traitor behind her.

"Let her go." His voice was cold, the killing intent in it powerful enough to bend the grasses down under his feet. He saw the older nin's eyes go wide at the force in it, and he smiled grimly beneath his mask.

"Put down your weapon, and she'll live." Rin was the other's only bargaining chip, and the one thing that Kakashi truly loved, so there was nothing else he could do. He knelt in the dirt, his hands flat to the ground, and watched in undisguised horror as she fought for him, and was killed for her daring. The flash of a silver blade and the crimson splash of blood…

And Rin…was dead, stolen from his world forever.

For the next year he would go on solo missions, spurning teams and teammates, absorbed by his need for vengeance. Each stop, each village, he'd search for news of that one man. The day he'd finally caught up to him had been stinking hot, and the sweat had poured from both of them as they'd fought. The sound of steel against steel, Kakashi's heirloom tanto against the other's katana, had rung through the air, punctuating the buzz of the cicadas in the trees around them. The year it had taken for the teen to find that traitor had been endless missions and furious training, just for this one opportunity to finish the man that had killed his Rin.

When the fight started, they were more evenly matched than they had been a year ago, but Kakashi had the advantage of youth on his side, and it wasn't long before he was wearing the murderer down, the hate he had in his heart for the other man fuelling his body to even greater heights. Their blades came together with such force that they both broke, Sakumo Hatake's tanto shattering against the sword of the traitor much the same way Kakashi's heart had. The silver-haired teen spun away from the next attack. Pushing up his hitai-ate to expose Obito's Sharingan rotating in his left eye, he dodged the incoming attack, blocking the leg sweep with his hands before side-stepping a fist clenching a kunai, his elbow making a satisfyingly bloody dent in the back of the man's head as he floundered past. That blow took the traitor-nin to the ground, and within the space of the next breath, Kakashi was on top of him.

The man tried to beg—he really did, the fear in those hard brown eyes pleading with Kakashi to not kill him, but the first fist was already breaking his teeth, and the second bloodied and cracked his nose, the enraged teen pounding on him with his fists until his face looked like raw meat and tears of pain were leaking from eyes that were swollen shut. All of the fight had gone out of the man Kakashi had hunted for so long, enraging him even more. _This was the monster that killed Rin! How dare he give up so easily!?_

Going to his feet, Kakashi stood above him on trembling legs, the fury washing through his body demanding more…needing more. _**"Get up!"**_ He screamed, his whole being shaking with his rage. _**"GET UP!" **_

He didn't care about the visceral groans that escaped the man as he struggled to his feet, but he grinned savagely as he tried one last kick, and Kakashi captured that leg, and broke it with one easy twist, letting the man fall back to the ground to cry out in agony. Kakashi followed him down, and beat him again, his heart vomiting forth all of the pain and hatred he'd been carrying around since he'd watched Rin die. He beat the man until he couldn't crawl from him anymore. Until the ground was red with the blood he'd coughed up, the dark, bloody mud beneath Kakashi's feet squelching at every step. And at the end…when there was nothing left of the man but a bloodied scrap of meat, he picked him up and slammed him against a tree, the tomoe in his left eye whirring as he took every last bit of this experience into his memory forever.

Focusing his chakra to form a Raikiri was easy, and Kakashi held it close to the other man's chest, his gray eye watching that mottled face raptly. "Why should I let trash like you live?" He asked quietly, his voice low with loathing. There was no chance of the man answering him, a mouthful of blood and the jagged stumps of the few remaining teeth precluding him saying _anything_ anytime soon. But, he stared at him, startling and swallowing hard as those bashed-in features became Rin's, and she looked at him with her sweet, sad eyes. It was then that Kakashi knew- deep down- that if he killed this man for revenge he'd be no better than he was.

_Rin…_

Walking away was the easy option. He was leaving that murderer's fate in the hands of the Kami. If he lived, crippled as he was, there was no chance of him ever coming after Kakashi, or his loved ones again. And if he died…well then…_he __**died.**_

When he returned to Konoha he carried his decision with him, the weight of it changing him. Everything seemed slower, and nothing seemed to be able to touch him. It was then that his eye went dead…that gray flatness that made people redouble at the sight of it, and Kakashi found it a very effective way of making nosy people keep their distance. He could walk through a crowd and not be touched by it, almost like a ghost, as if the people walked right through him. Having his revenge hadn't eased any of the ache within him though, and the interference of his sensei had done nothing but irritate him further. Minato-sensei had been very occupied by his upcoming appointment to Hokage, but he'd found the time repeatedly to seek out Kakashi and talk to him about Rin. He'd even recruited Kushina-san to do the same, and the redhead had nearly driven him to drink with her antics. In fact, he had drank…a lot.

On the day that his sensei had become the Yondaime, Kakashi hadn't been there. He'd been sitting at the Memorial Stone all day, listening to the cheers, and waiting for the fireworks once dusk had fallen. _He could share that much with his sensei on his most important day, couldn't he? _The low, teasing voice that broke into his thoughts was unexpected though, and he'd been startled out of his self-absorption to hear them.

"You still hate him, don't you?"

Kakashi turned to see the Toad Sage, smiling down at him, the look in the man's dark eyes sympathetic, and challenging. He shook himself internally, not wanting to hear anything the older man had to say to him, resenting the fact that the man even thought he had the right to do so.

"Reliving all of the memories of her won't do anything for you, Kakashi." The man had said, persisting in talking to him, and the Jounin had turned to him to tell him to go away but his lips were stilled when he saw that Jiraiya was staring up at the sky, a look of profound understanding on his face. "It will only lead to more pain, and the pain leads to hate, and there can't be any peace in this world if people keep holding on to their hate."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Kakashi had abandoned all pretense of not listening and gotten to his feet, confronting the old Shinobi, his gray eye gone dark with anger. "The world is full of hate, Jiraiya." He'd ground out. "You can't really believe that there will be peace in this world someday."

The smile that had spread over that face had been something to see. The belief that'd shone in the Toad Sage's black eyes had set Kakashi back for a moment before he could scrape his anger around him once more. "There is nothing more powerful…no Ninjutsu, no Taijutsu, or no Genjutsu…Kakashi, there is nothing more powerful than love."

Stalking off in self-righteous anger had seemed like a good idea at the time, and he started to do so, before Jiraiya had stopped him with words again. "Death is part of a Shinobi's life, brat." The man's voice had been soft, and sure, and so full of empathy that Kakashi had wanted to throttle him. "You can't hold onto the hate or you risk dishonouring the very memory you seek to preserve."

"How can I do that, Jiraiya!?" He'd turned on the old man, stepping right in to stare at him, his face full of the anger he was feeling, radiating the heat of it from behind his mask. "I am just an ordinary man…a common copy of a man just like everyone else. I'm no one special! How do you expect me to do that!?" Near tears, and embarrassed by that, he'd backed away from the man, his fists clenching in furious anger, his whole body shaking.

"An ordinary man, Kakashi?" Jiraiya had replied, his voice gaining in volume as the silver-haired teen began to walk away from him. "I don't believe that you are that at all. You will never be just an 'everyday' anything. You're born and you die, and you make choices and you learn, but no one ever has just an ordinary life. I believe that everyone has a place in this world and that they were born for a reason that makes them unique…that makes them worthwhile." The old Shinobi's voice had grown louder, 'til he'd been shouting as Kakashi reached the walls around the graveyard. "I think you're here for a reason, too, brat, and that reason is going to be bigger than the both of us."

He'd stopped in his tracks then, and had looked back at the Sannin, his eye red with the tears he was trying to keep from crying. "Not for me." He'd spoken softly, his voice carrying on the breeze. "Not anymore." And he'd left him standing there and had walked away, but not before one last sentence the old man'd uttered came to his ears. "You're a lot like me, kid."

Kakashi stood in his apartment, his mind returning, the picture of his Genin team heavy in his hand as the memories of those terrible days were tucked away again. Jiraiya had been right, and only time could have taught him that. As he placed the photo back on his bookcase, he smiled, touching a fingertip to the picture of his first love. He hadn't moved on perhaps as much as he should have, but he had found someone to fall in love with again, and at that thought a small chuckle escaped him. "And you were right, Jiraiya-sama…" He couldn't help but speak the words aloud, offering this very belated apology to the irritating old man. "He is much bigger than you and I."

The smirk under his mask grew as he looked into his sensei's face, sharing the sense of awe he had that he was feeling this way about his son. "If only he knew how much you loved him, Minato-sensei." He said, touching a finger to his sensei's face as well. "He deserves to know that he is loved."

Pulling down his mask, Kakashi turned from the photos, and his memories, and crossed to his kitchenette to get himself a glass of water. It wasn't the tea he'd been thinking about, but the need for something to moisten his dry throat made it the better choice. It was nice to be able to drink something without having to gulp it down in order to avoid being seen, and he sipped at the coolness before spotting Mr. Ukki, and he had to go and give his plant a drink, too. "It wouldn't be fair to not share some with you, would it?" He grinned, the plant bringing Naruto to mind as it always did, and unfortunately that also brought that thick file to mind, and the pile of paperwork waiting on his table. With a sigh he went back to it, setting his glass on the counter before he ran a hand over the folder, the memories this time of a happier vein. He remembered all of the times the boy had fought to make a name for himself, proving time after time that nothing could stop him from achieving his goals. How his blue eyes glowed with excitement every time he'd attained something he'd set out to do. Blue eyes like a summer sky in all of that golden skin…

Kakashi's heart gave a little skip, and he felt heat come into his cheeks as he realized where his thoughts were going. _STOP._ He thought to himself, trying to banish those illicit images from his head as he plopped down in one of his chairs. _He was drunk when he kissed you…when he said that he loved you. It doesn't mean anything. _The blush intensified on his face as he recalled waking up with Naruto pressed against him this morning, the wonderful heat of the boy's body over his own. _He just needed to be with somebody._ He told himself, shoving a hand through his silver hair agitatedly. _I was just…__**there.**_

Pushing those thoughts away, he suddenly remembered what the Fifth had requested that he do today, and he dropped his head down to _thunk_ audibly on the paperwork on his table. "Damn." He'd forgotten all about telling Naruto about the memorial service.

Quickly he stood and dashed about his apartment, gathering his gear so he could head out, making it to his door in record time. Yanking up his mask, he pulled open his door, and just stared, his mouth agape under his mask. "Naruto!?"

The teen looked exhausted, his eyes swollen and red-rimmed, and Kakashi suddenly felt guilty for leaving him on his own today so he reached out for him and drew him in, shutting the door to keep out the chill. _I must have been so preoccupied that I didn't even notice his chakra. _He thought, working to get the winter coat off of the almost unresponsive blond. "Come in, Naruto, and sit down."

_I'll take care of you._

Sitting Naruto down at his little table, Kakashi put his kettle on to boil, throwing all of his paperwork and Naruto's huge file into a storage scroll he popped out of a pocket in his Jounin vest before he shrugged it off. He placed the scroll on the top of his fridge, knowing it was better out of the way. Not that he expected his former student to go snooping, but accidents could happen, and he'd be breaking the Third's damned Law if Naruto read that file. He moved on, getting a pot and his jar of miso paste from the cupboard, quickly putting together a filling soup with the vegetables he'd bought the day before.

Leaving the soup to cook, Kakashi was amazed to hear his own stomach growl, and he realized with a low groan that he hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. "Maa, Naruto." He joked, his voice breaking into the silence that had reigned in his little apartment since he'd tugged the teen inside. "That sounds like your stomach usually does." When there was no response to his little tease, Kakashi frowned, turning to really look at the blond teen slumped at his table. Naruto's hair and face sparkled with the remnants of snow melting in the warmth of the room, his face was quiet and closed under that wet mop of hair, his features as remote as the Jounin had ever seen them, like Naruto had gone somewhere very far away and didn't plan on coming back. Kakashi's heart throbbed inside of him to see that absence of emotion on such a normally expressive face, and he knew that he had to do something about it.

He didn't spare the idea that popped into his head a second thought, he just headed for his bathroom to retrieve a towel, and he stood behind his teammate and did it himself, drying the melting snow from that soft, blond hair, his fingers rubbing gently against Naruto's scalp as he did so. Kakashi felt the teen lean back into his touch, and an almost inaudible sigh escaped the younger man's lips as his head made contact with the Jounin's abdomen. He smiled at how happy it made him feel to know that Naruto could relax like that under his touch, and he looked up and froze as his eye caught sight of their reflection—his and Naruto's—in his kitchen window.

They looked…_good,_ together. That head of damp blond hair dropped back against him, the small smile of contentment on those full lips. Naruto's eyelashes were like golden crescents on the pink-tinted cheeks, and it seemed that Kakashi's fingers reached of their own volition to smooth against one of those cheeks, and he felt the scratch of a whisker-scar under the calloused pads of his fingertips. Watching him…watching them, in the reflection of his window was like seeing someone else, almost, and that made him smile under his mask as he saw how soft and affectionate he looked as he gazed down at Naruto. _What have you done to me, brat?_ He asked himself the question, even as his lips turned up into a full smile, his fingers still caressing gently over his student's skin, his heart catching to feel the teen lean into his touch again.

Warmth seeped into Kakashi to see Naruto so contented to be with him. The mask that the blond had been wearing when he'd opened his door was gone, and the weariness and pain that had been hidden behind it were evident in the lines and dark circles under those bruised looking eyelids. There was no missing that the teen had had a very hard day, and the knowledge that tomorrow was going to be that much worse made the Jounin's hands tremble a bit where they lay on the returning heat of the younger man's body. With conscious thought this time, Kakashi wrapped his arms around those easing shoulders, drawing Naruto back to rest more fully against him, offering all of the reassurance and affection he could at that moment, the damp towel and the chair back the only thing between them.

Naruto could have sighed at the way his sensei drying his hair was taking away all of the stress that had been inside of him. He hadn't really been _here_, even with Kakashi bustling all around him until that soft towel had been draped over his dripping head and the older man had begun to dry his hair, those long, strong fingers massaging into his scalp and making him suddenly feel rather boneless. When his head had been too much for him to hold up, it had just seemed natural to lean back against his sensei, and he'd closed his eyes just as the warm tips of the Jounin's fingers had brushed over his cheek. _Ohh…_Naruto swallowed a gasp as the shock that shivered under his skin at that first tender contact. There was a heat in his belly that didn't seem to have anything to do with how warm the apartment was, but it felt so new and so _right_ to the teen and so connected to those stroking fingertips that he didn't want to move away from it. Instead, he leaned his face into them, feeling that heat expand, circling and tingling, and the longer that Kakashi touched him, the nicer Naruto began to feel.

This was the first time since this morning that every part of Naruto was at ease. And not only at ease, but down-in-the-bone contented, as if he'd just eaten his weight in ramen and was heading for a nap. But this…this was even better. This was his sensei, a man that cared for him and was starting to show him that, and this was the one person he felt good around anymore, and that special feeling only intensified when arms suddenly enveloped him and he was drawn back for a hug, and he felt Kakashi's chin drop to the top of his head.

Heat suffused Naruto's entire body as he felt the man behind him nuzzle his face into his damp hair, a heat that relaxed him and teased him, causing feelings in him that he'd never known before. So many sounds wanted to come out of his mouth that he couldn't decide which ones to make first, so he contented himself with a sigh wrung from the pleasure that was spreading through him, rolling his head up to feel more of Kakashi against him.

_Naruto._ The sensation of having this young man in his arms, so obviously at ease produced a feeling of sensuous languor in the Jounin that had him seriously considering tipping that blond head back and pulling down his mask so he could kiss those full lips properly. He had this overwhelming need to taste Naruto's mouth, and to slide his tongue just into that small part, where he could see the breath teasing at the edges. The heat in his body made him so contented with the idea of that kiss, that he was reaching for his mask, his hand coming away from where it had been laid against his teammate's body, his fingers just curling for the edge when the tea kettle he'd put on finally made its shrill, interfering presence known.

With a small start…so small that Kakashi himself could have taken it for a hiccup had he not known better, he regained some of his sense, and let a wry, self-mocking grin curve over his lips. _So close._ He thought, letting his chin rest just a bit longer on that soft, damp nest of curls. _Oh, kid, what are you doing to me?_ He withdrew a little, his hand coming back from where it had been resting on the teen's chest, the other-the treacherous other—falling back down to readjust the towel where it laid on Naruto's neck. "There now," He murmured softly, his voice barely audible over the shrill whistle of the kettle. "Much better."

Stepping away from his former student was a much harder thing to do than Kakashi thought it would be. He missed the heat of that compact body pressed against his chest, and the way that Naruto had slumped into him so completely and acceptingly made him very certain that if he had kissed that tempting mouth, that the teen would have opened to the touch of his lips just as easily. As his hands came away, his fingertips brushed one last time over a scarred cheek, and he gave a low, quiet murmur of reassurance just to let Naruto know that he wasn't being rejected. "Maa, listen to that kettle scream…"

Naruto wanted to moan the loss as the strong, solid presence of his sensei went missing from his back. Something…something had been on the verge of happening, and though he didn't know what it was, the promise of it was sending tiny flickers of flame dancing through his blood. With dazed eyes he followed the silver-haired man's progress around the small kitchen, feeling so much at ease in this place that he felt like he never wanted to move again. Gone were the fears and sorrows that had haunted him for most of the day, and in their place was a reassurance and sense of just being 'home' that he'd rarely ever had before. When Kakashi handed him the hot cup of tea, he smiled at him, the warmth in his darkened blue eyes so palpable that his sensei smiled back at him in return, and Naruto was gifted with the rare sight of that grey eye warm and happy and looking at him.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said quietly, bringing the mug to his lips to blow the steam from it before taking a tentative sip. Soup bowls full of hot, dark liquid teeming with cut-up vegetables and seaweed soon followed, and he inhaled the salty, fishy scent eagerly, his eyes closing in appreciation. Without another word he tucked in, pretty much inhaling the big bowl that had been put in front him, and not demurring at all when the Jounin got up and served him another one, but he gobbled it down as well, the warm soup in his stomach and the contentment he'd been feeling since his sensei touched him combining to bring about one of the biggest yawns he'd ever let go. So wide, and so long did he yawn that Naruto felt like his face was going to crack in half, and he wasn't really surprised to hear Kakashi murmur those next words to him-but the ones that followed after that-made his blue eyes widen in astonishment.

"You look exhausted, Naruto." He said, gathering up the empty bowls and mugs and putting them into the sink. "Why don't you go get something to wear out of the top drawer of my dresser and go into the bathroom to put it on. I'll get the bed ready for you, and you can spend the night with me."

Something fluttered in Naruto's stomach at the way his sensei phrased that, but the joy he felt that he wasn't going to be put back out into the chill of the winter evening made his whole face light up with glee. "Sure, sensei!" He chirped, getting up from the table. The teen was so tired that his eyes were full of grit, and he rubbed at them as he crossed the small room to tug at the top drawer, pulling it open to see a pile of what could only be cloned clothes for they seemed to be all alike, just more and more of the same shirt and the same pants, but he got a set out, and went to shut the drawer when a small open box in the bottom of it caught his attention.

Setting the clothes he'd selected on the top of the dresser, Naruto picked up the box, bringing it up into the light so he could see its contents better, his sky eyes wide as he took in the blue crystal placed between two silver pieces of metal, the whole assembly strung on a black cord. "What have you got there, Naruto?" Kakashi's voice interrupted his admiration of the necklace, and he looked over at the silver-haired man, a look of wonder in his eyes.  
>"I don't know, sensei, it's a necklace, but…I like it." If he were pressed, Naruto couldn't have explained why this bit of jewellery had called to him, but it had, and his finger tingled where he stroked over the crystal, unable to keep himself from touching it.<p>

"Ah," Kakashi said, knowing exactly what it was the teen had picked up, and he went to him, taking the little box into his own hand and gazing with remembered affection at the necklace within. "This was a gift from my sensei's wife. She was a strong woman who liked whipping brats like me into line. She saw me looking at it one day, and gave it to me for Christmas that year." He snapped the lid shut, and placed the box back in the drawer, sliding it closed. Laying his hand on the teen's shoulder he gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Go on, now." He urged, seeing the fatigue in the dark circles under Naruto's eyes. "Go get changed." As the teen turned to go into the bathroom, Kakashi cleared his throat hesitantly, knowing that this had to be said. "Um, Naruto…you know what tomorrow is, right?"

"Yeah…I know…" The dull pain in the teen's voice struck at Kakashi's heart, and the urge to hug his teammate almost overcame him, but Naruto moved away before he could, stepping into the bathroom before he could say anymore.

As the bathroom door closed behind the younger man, a smile replaced Kakashi's frown, a thought coming into his head that perhaps that necklace should be handed down once more, and the smile under his mask grew as a happy tear swam into his eye. Yes, he'd like that. To give Naruto a gift from his mother, even if the teen didn't know that's who she was. _Yes…_

Two steps to his right was his closet door, and moving on into action now that his mind was made up, Kakashi opened it, taking down a storage scroll from the top shelf and turning to unroll it on the floor of his apartment, kicking the door shut with his heel as he began to make the hand signs necessary to unlock the scroll. Seconds later, a futon _poofed_ into being, all made up with sheets and blankets and ready to be slept in. Quickly, while the teen was still in the bathroom, Kakashi changed into his sleep pants too, leaving on the mask that he usually took off, and went around the apartment, turning off the lights and locking the door, reinforcing the jutsus that guarded his home. He was sitting up in his bed when Naruto came out, already tucked in and equally as ready to sleep as his teammate. "That's for you." He said, nodding to the futon, picking up on the surprised expression on the blond's face as he saw the bed laid out on the floor for him. _Surely he didn't think he'd be sleeping with me…__**did he?!**_ The astonishing emotions behind that thought made Kakashi very glad that the room was dark, for his face was bright red with a blush that felt like it ran all the way down to his groin, and he flopped back down onto his bed, and turned towards the wall, giving his roommate for the evening a faint 'goodnight' as he struggled to contain the feeling of arousal that was threatening to consume him. _Damn! Those were not the kind of dreams that he wanted to have tonight!_ But, he listened to Naruto slide into the warm covers on the futon, listened to the grunts and the sighs, until he was certain that the exhausted teen had given into the need to sleep, and only then did he allow himself to follow him.

_Loove you, Kaka senn'ay…_

_Loove you…_

_Kaka…Kaka senn'ay…_

Naruto startled awake, his body jerking into a taut line as the dream he'd been having skittered through his mind. His face flushed with heat as he replayed it, seeing it this time with his conscious mind, where he was able to place it into the proper context. He couldn't help but look over at the bed where his sensei laid, sleeping soundly, the quiet sighs of those regular breaths filling the silence that he was used to waking up to. _Did I really tell him that?_ He'd been drunk, the yucky alcohol that he'd swallowed swimming through his body and making him feel like he'd fallen out of it altogether. But he had…he had definitely said that.

_Loove you, Kaka senn'ay. _He should be feeling embarrassed and angry at himself for being such an idiot, but his sensei hadn't made fun of him for it. He'd taken those words and been good to him, drawing him into his home, and caring for him. Naruto had seen him smiling at him more behind his mask, and a sudden, almost violent wish that that mask would disappear came over him so quickly that he sat up on his futon, staring at his sensei, the man's silver hair just visible in the light of the moon that came in through the shut blinds.

_The mask?! Holy Kami!_

"I kissed him." Naruto whispered the words aloud to the dark and quiet room, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. _He had. He'd kissed him!_ And the memory of that kiss, faint and fractured as it was, was there in his memory, along with the feeling of Kakashi's warm body against his, and Naruto was awestruck when the heat of blood on his face went straight down to his groin, and the condition that normally only occurred when he first woke up in the morning was suddenly tenting those borrowed pants.

"Dattebayo." The teen collapsed back against the futon, curling over onto his side so he wouldn't have to think about the hardness between his thighs. He tugged the covers up over his ears, trying to find all of the things he could think of to shove that unwelcome, confusing erection away. Naruto had never had an erection before for this reason…for his sensei…for _anyone…_and he muffled his groan under the blankets as he summoned up an image of Gai and Rock Lee in matching bikini swimsuits. That did it quite handily, and he gave a great heaving sigh as he began to deflate.

His sensei. He had feelings for Kakashi-sensei.

The emotional turmoil in Naruto's heart took a while to ebb, and the whole time he laid on his side and stared at the moonlight limned outline of his sensei, until his eyes were too tired to stay open and he began to fall asleep again. There were too many things to work out when he was this tired. Too many things and the service he had to go to tomorrow to say goodbye to the Pervy Sage. Maybe when that was over, he could think about this again, and consider what to do with these feelings he had for his sensei. But, for now, it was enough for him to know that he cared about Kakashi, and that the man seemed to care about him, and so he closed his eyes and let the warm darkness of sleep take him once more.

Up at the crack of dawn, Kakashi slid from his bed, his first sight of Naruto making a smile appear under his mask. The teen was sprawled out on the futon, the covers nearly kicked off. Clearly, sometime in the night he'd been thrashing around, and the too-big clothes had moved around in all of the wrong directions, exposing a lovely expanse of golden skin that his eye was only too eager to feast upon. Quite quickly, his mouth went utterly dry and Kakashi could only stare at the toned abdomen and the defined muscles of Naruto's pelvis, knowing exactly what lay below the waistband that had ridden so low on the blond's hips. And what had started out as a smile slowly devolved into something more of a fish gasping for breath.

_Kami._ He thought desperately, shoving a hand through his messy, silver bed head. _This is so unfair._

With a hard shake to knock some sense back into himself, he bent down to twitch the covers up over Naruto's deeply sleeping form, hiding the temptation that called to the heart of his very being. It had been a very near thing, the call of that warm body and the comfortable futon speaking to all of the mixed emotions he'd been having about Naruto in the past few days. Marshalling himself, calling upon the will that had seen him through many missions, he was able to make it to his bathroom and shut the door, his sigh of relief muffled as he turned on the shower.

Kakashi took a lot longer in the shower than he usually did, but it had taken him time to will down the unwelcome arousal that had come with his erotic thoughts. Doing what he normally did with his morning erection was not an option when Naruto was sleeping mere feet from the door, and when he was done washing, he opened it carefully, and had a genuine smile this time to see that the teen was still asleep. Creeping about on silent feet, he clothed himself in casual clothes and wrote the sleeping youth a note in case he woke up while he was gone. He had something very specific he had to attend to before the service later that day, and once he was adequately dressed for the cold, he let himself out and headed for the Jounin headquarters.

The line-up of Shinobi waiting for mourning attire wasn't very long, and Kakashi greeted the sad-faced Aoba with a casual two-fingered wave. "Yo." He said simply, his hands shoved once more into his pockets. "I need clothes for Naruto."

Surprise, and then a quiet acknowledgement passed over the other man's face for he knew how close the Copy Nin's student had been to the Sannin. With a nod he got up himself rather than relying on the Chuunin that was assisting him and retrieved a set of the black clothing, handing it to Kakashi without another word. When the other Jounin disappeared into Shunshin a second later, he didn't even blink an eye behind those dark sunglasses he wore, he just sat back down to motion the next person in line forward.

The apartment was still quiet when Kakashi returned, so he shrugged out of his winter coat and boots and laid the clothes he'd gone to get on the floor beside his still-sleeping teammate. Kneeling there, he couldn't resist the impulse to touch that blond hair just once, running his fingers through the soft mass, the tender feelings in his heart causing a sweet upswell of joy to fill him. And as he knelt there, it came to Kakashi that for the first time in a very long time, he hadn't thought of going to the Memorial Stone to visit with those loved ones he'd lost. Easing back on his heels, he gazed down at Naruto, his brow wrinkling in bemused consternation. _Either I knew I'd already see enough of it today…_ He thought, watching those slender golden brows pull down into a fetching frown that nearly matched his own. _Or, just having you here to distract me was more than enough for me to forget to do something I've been doing just about everyday for the last eighteen years. Naruto…_A smile that was so helpless that he almost felt like a wimp to feel it on his own lips curled his mouth. _What are you doing to me?_

Waking to the smell of frying fish was a completely novel experience, and Naruto levered up out of the warm covers, his nose leading the way. Inhaling deeply, his nose twitching, he finally opened his eyes to see his sensei working around the stove, the man deftly handling the frying pan full of fish as two pots bubbled beside it. "Mmm…sensei…that's smells great!" Throwing back the covers, Naruto stood, clutching at the loose waistband of his borrowed pants so they wouldn't end up around his ankles. As Kakashi turned around to throw a nonchalant look at him, he was reminded of the memories he'd recovered last night, and his whole face lit up with embarrassment.

Seeking a way—any way—in which to escape the too-discerning eye of his sensei, Naruto gulped and stuttered a none-too-convincing '_sorry, gonna use the bathroom'_ to the man and dived towards the door, slamming it shut behind him as his heart rose up to pound in his throat. _Gah! I'm never gonna be able to look at my sensei again!_ He slumped against the door, panting hard as he replayed that image again and again in his head, and when the knock came to the wood just behind it, Naruto actually jumped, and the hand that had been holding his pants up let go, letting them go right to the floor and leaving him bare from the waist down.

"Yo, Naruto." His teacher's wonderful tenor voice from outside of the door made his face flame, and that other little problem he usually woke up with raised its head even higher.

"NO!" He screeched out, turning around to slam his weight against the door so the Jounin couldn't open it. "I'm…I'm…_naked!_ You can't come in!" There was a long, awkward pause outside the door and he could almost see that hand pushing through the thick silver hair in bewilderment at his antics.

"I have your clothes." Those four words reminded Naruto that he was still—kind of—wearing his sensei's stuff, but he couldn't exactly open the door and let Kakashi see the state of his _excited_ body. After a moment of waffling indecision, he grabbed a hold of the door handle and opened it just far enough to poke his nose through, meeting his sensei's one eye with an innocent look, his hand held out for the items. When the silver-haired man gave him a bundle of dark fabric, he was momentarily confused, and then Naruto's face fell down as he remembered what today was exactly, and why he'd been sleeping at his sensei's home last night.

"Ah, right." His eyes rose, and for just that second he saw that spot he was sure that he kissed, and when his eyes rose a little higher he saw that grey iris focused on him thoughtfully, his sensei looking at him as if he, too, shared that memory. It was almost like he forgot to breathe, just in that second, the two of them looking at each other, and he wondered if they were thinking the same thing and it was on his lips to ask about it…to apologize even… But, the weight of those dark clothes in his hand brought Naruto back to the present, and to the painful farewell that was waiting for him. Reluctantly, he drew his eyes away from Kakashi's and looked down at the clothes, grateful to feel all of his body easing and calming as he withdrew back into the bathroom.

"Maa, Naruto. No need to hurry. I'll be here when you get out."

_What was that?_ Kakashi shoved a hand through his mop of hair as he lingered on his side of the bathroom door. He recalled the way Naruto's distracted blue eyes had focused on his mask, the wonder in them all on a spot just to the left side of his mouth, and Kakashi's fingers went there, to the spot where the teen had kissed him, remembering the brief, eager press of those lips to his. _Was that what you were remembering, Naruto?_

In a bit of a daze, Kakashi turned from the door, making it all the way back to the stove before he realized that he was still touching that place on his face, and when he finally did so, he dropped his hand, bringing his attention back to the food he was trying to cook. No sense burning breakfast even if his brain was churning at Shunshin speed, and he applied himself to those fish and the leftover miso soup, making sure it would be ready when Naruto finally came out of the bathroom.

The arrival of a now very quiet blond at the table brought out a similar silence from Kakashi. They were both dressed in their mourning attire, the winter version of it of a heavier, double-lined silk so they would be warm in the chilly air, though a damp towel still draped over Naruto's shoulders, catching the drips from his wet hair. To batten them both even more, he served the breakfast he'd worked so hard to prepare: Fried mackerel and eggs; Miso soup leftovers, and white rice, urging Naruto to eat more when it appeared the normally bottomless pit filled up prematurely. He understood the reason, but teased the teen a bit more, easing some of the stress that he could see in the tense set of those shoulders. When it seemed they were both done, he rose and cleared the table, moving gently and serenely around his teammate, soothing him by his actions if by nothing else. And, when the table was clear, and the dishes in the sink for later cleaning, Kakashi copied his actions of the night before and picked up the towel on Naruto's shoulders and finished drying that damp hair.

"Come, Naruto." He said when he was done, dropping the wet towel onto his counter. "We must go."

There was no answer back from his former student, just the slight sound of the chair scraping as Naruto got up from the table. Both he and Kakashi gathered their gloves, and toed into warm boots that laced over their black pants. At the door Naruto hesitated, wanting to speak but not wanting to break the fragile yet comfortable bond they seemed to have woven. "Um, sensei? Will you…will you go have ramen with me at Ichiraku's after?"

Leaning in, Kakashi gave his teammate a nudge with his arm, pushing him towards the front door, and reassuring him with his touch at the same time. "Maa, Naruto." He said lightly as they went out into the bright, clear frosty day. "Only if you're paying for it."

Near the end of the tribute to a man, who like so many others would never have a proper burial, it began to snow. Little sparkling clumps of snow, so soft and delicate that they melted upon landing on the warmth of winter-chilled skin and hung tiny crystal droplets on hair and eyelashes. What made that beautiful snowfall even more remarkable was that it came from a clear blue sky, falling on the black-clad assembly as they began to file forwards, white chrysanthemums in their hands. One by one those flowers were laid on the bier that would normally have held Jiraiya-sama's body, but only held a picture of the man- one supplied by a very reluctant Tsunade-who would still deny that she'd ever had one if pressed.

As Naruto waited in the line-up to lay his flower amongst the others, he could feel Kakashi's solid presence at his back. The man had never left him. They'd arrived together and in all that time his sensei had stayed by his side. All of the people that had wished to speak to the silver-haired Jounin had had to come to him, and that constant reassurance had gone a long way towards settling the pain in Naruto's heart. Now, as Kakashi came alongside him to lay his bloom with the others, he could feel the heat of his teacher's arm against his own, and he cast a glance at the profile of the other man, seeking the calm serenity he knew he would find there so he could take it into his own heart.

Instead, one warm gray eye was focused on him, and the tender concern he could see in that normally dead-looking pupil made flutters of wonderful and painful emotion run around in his stomach. _I need to find out what this is. _Naruto thought to himself as his sensei reached up to wipe one of those melting snowflakes from his right eye. _I need to know why I react this way when he touches me. _Fluttering sparks turned to little licks of flame as a calloused thumb brushed over his eyelashes and he realized that these thoughts were paramount now that this day had been seen through, and as he and Kakashi wound their way down from the front of the gathering he knew that his Pervy Sage would enjoy seeing him wondering over the possibility that he'd fallen in love. He couldn't help snorting at the thought that that perverted old man would be head-over-heels with dirty thoughts of the two brats that he'd known and helped to change in love with each other. _Him and Kakashi._ _In love? _Naruto could almost hear that delighted giggle now and he shivered a little at the knowing _'Oh-ohhho…'_ Jiraiya would be cooing right about now.

Wanting to share that bit of happiness with the man that had supported him today, Naruto turned to look at his sensei, but the man's attention was being claimed by a Jounin he recognized as Kotetsu, a man his Baa-chan often utilized to deliver messages so he completely understood as he saw Kakashi's shoulders tighten, and he knew that the man would finally have to leave him.

To the apologetic eye that the other man gave him, Naruto gave a nod and the faint smile that appeared under Kakashi's mask at that was not lost on him, and so his heart was happy as he walked away, and when he was joined moments later by his teammates and Lee, he was able to give them a very heartfelt smile back, and the sorrow didn't overwhelm him. When they, too, left Sai, Sakura and Lee walking off together, _and was that Sakura holding Lee's hand?_ a touch on his arm turned him around and into the warm embrace of Iruka Umino and Naruto was able let go of all of those mixed emotions and just let his heart rest for a while.

"Hey, Naruto." Iruka's voice was soft on his ears, and when they pulled apart a little those warm brown eyes were looking at him with undisguised care. "What say you and I go and get some ramen, huh? My treat."

His mouth opened, and he was ready to invite the man to join him and Kakashi when he realized that this was the man that he needed to talk to. That Iruka-sensei could answer all of the questions he had about falling in love, and how he knew when it happened, and he swallowed hard at the thought of finally finding out what was going on with him and his silver-haired Jounin. "Yeah, Iruka-sensei. I'd like that. I've…um, got some things I'd like to ask you about. But, do you mind? I have to go and talk to Kakashi-sensei first." At the other's man nod, Naruto headed towards where Kakashi was standing with the Hokage, the two of them evidently engrossed in a very tense conversation. As he approached he saw the gray eye of his sensei see him and abruptly that conversation came to an end.

The news that Tsunade had for him, that one of their ANBU had failed to report in after being sent to search for the Akatsuki in the Land of Grass had him very concerned. It seemed that all that the Hokage had worried about in that poor country was fast becoming real, and the possibility of war was looming ever closer on the horizon. It meant that he needed to start training Naruto, and that the training needed to start as soon as possible. When he saw his former-student start to come towards him through the dwindling crowds he settled his stance, welcoming the blond with his body as well as his words as the talk between him and Tsunade halted.

"Hey Baa-chan." Naruto greeted quietly, giving the older woman a brief acknowledgement before turning all of his attention to the Jounin at her side. "Um, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei has asked me to go to supper with him and I was wondering…"

"Maa…Naruto…that's okay…go." Kakashi interrupted the teen gently, seeing the relief that came into those sweet blue eyes at his words. _It would be good for the both of them to spend a little time apart after the last few days._ He thought, for he knew he had some soul-searching to do, and from the distracted look on that scarred face, Naruto had some to do too. "But, I'll meet you at the main gates tomorrow at seven sharp and we can start your training, okay?"

The smile was very genuine and it spread over Naruto's face like the sun after a long and dreary rain. The gladness that sprouted in Kakashi at the sight of it did not go unnoticed by the Sannin standing beside them, and Tsunade had to swallow the astonishment of what might be going on between these two brats that she held such irritated affection for. When her baki actually smiled back and made a joke, then she knew she was right, for it could only be the influence Hatake was having on the teen that was getting him through Jiraiya's death.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto laughed softly as he walked away. "I'll see you at ten o'clock sharp."

When the Jounin turned back to look at his leader she was gazing at him, a calculating look in her amber eyes. "Just make sure you don't hurt him." Was all she said, and then she spun on her heel and stalked away, her robes fluttering out behind her as she moved. Kakashi heard her mutter something to Shizune as she joined her, and if it sounded something like 'saki' and 'getting drunk', well then, the Jounin couldn't blame her for after hearing what she'd just said he thought he might need to get drunk as well. Instead, another opportunity to lose himself in a pointless pursuit raised its head as the heavy arm of Gai was wrapped around his shoulders and the too-loud voice of his oldest friend expressed his sympathy for all that he had lost.

Barely listening, Kakashi gave his friend a crooked sideways glance and drawled a: "Maa, Gai, kunais on training field 23?"

There was a long moment of silence, and then a flash so bright that it would have left dark spots dancing behind his eyelid if he'd been looking directly at his friend. He did catch the two thumbs up out of the corner of his eye, and when Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves a few seconds later he knew his smiling friend would be right behind him, talking excitedly all the while. Sometimes, those pointless contests really did have a point, and it was in those times when the silver-haired Jounin knew why he valued this friendship so damned much.

By the third bowl of miso pork ramen with extra boiled eggs Naruto had finally worked up his courage to ask the man sitting beside him the question he'd been dying to since he'd been hugged by him on the top of Hokage Mountain. "Ne…Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?" Iruka turned to look at the teen, seeing the intense curiosity in those blue eyes and the way that compact body leaning towards him was so earnest that the younger man was practically vibrating with the need to know. "You look like you have something very important to ask me."

"How do you know when you're in love?"

Choking, spitting up the sip of chicken stock he'd just taken, a red-faced Iruka turned in his seat to face the teen he thought he knew so well. "He, heh…excuse me? Did you just ask me about…"

"Love, Iruka-sensei. I want to know what it feels like when you fall in love."

"Aww, Naruto!" Leaning over to the teen Iruka gave him a light punch on the arm, his grin full of teasing as the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived. "Will you tell me what lovely young lady has caught the eye of Konoha's most eligible male?" He'd been expecting the blush that heated that golden skin but not the awkward, furtive look in the blue eyes that were trying to look anywhere but at him. An uncomfortable feeling crept up over his neck as he saw how guarded the teen had become, and Iruka had the sudden impression that he'd just ventured into scary territory for Naruto and he wasn't quite sure why.

Gentling his voice, he leaned a little closer, his eyes going soft with concern as he tried to catch those darting blue ones. "What is it, Naruto?" He asked quietly, reaching between them to lay a hand on his arm reassuringly. "You know you can tell me anything."

Almost afraid to look into those gentle brown eyes, Naruto stared at his cooling ramen for just a bit longer before gathering his courage. Fishing for his froggy purse in his pocket he ignored the astonished questions his Academy sensei was asking him as he tossed the money for their meal on the counter and got up. He gave Iruka a reassuring grin, and then captured the man's hand, tugging him up from the stool and out of the restaurant, totally ignoring the other man until they were the one place that he wanted to be when he told this very special person what was in his heart. When his bum was seated on the swing in the playground he'd played alone in as a child Naruto felt like he was finally in a place where he could explain what was confusing him, and perhaps understand what it was that was in his heart. And maybe, maybe find out that he'd discovered someone to be by his side for the rest of his life. "It isn't a girl, sensei." He said quietly, watching the mix of emotions that came and went on that kind face and he was reassured to see that Iruka wasn't judging him for the gender of the one he'd chosen.  
>"Ah…I see." And Iruka did truly see how this could be disturbing to a kind and gentle-hearted young man like Naruto. To feel love of this nature for the first time, and to feel it for someone of the same sex was no doubt causing all sorts of conflicting emotions for the teen. "I…I just always thought that you liked Sakura…so…"<p>

"Heh…yeah, I did. But somehow, and I don't know when, she just became another precious person to me. Someone I care about, but don't 'love' that way." Tucking in his feet, Naruto swung towards his sensei , a frown drawing down his golden brows. "And that's when I found that I had feelings for…_him."_ Halting the swing just a few feet from Iruka he let him see the desperate need in his heart to understand if what he was feeling really was love. "He's been so kind and…and warm towards me, and I want to be around him all the time. Tell me, please…how does love feel?"

Iruka swung towards Naruto as the teen came towards him and he caught the chains in his hands and held the blond there in front of him as he began to speak. "Love is kind and warm and comfortable." He started, looking into those yearning blue eyes. "And when you're with that person you feel safe, and you feel like you're in the best kind of danger. Like anything could happen and you'd _like_ it." He remembered falling in love, and called upon those memories to give them to Naruto. "When you fall in love you want to share everything with them, and you know that they won't mind. That even if they tease you, they love you and they accept who you are. And you…you don't mind their failings because you love them just like that in return."

Sighing, not knowing if he was doing a good job, Iruka stopped talking and just looked at Naruto. He could see the mind moving behind those blue eyes as the teen thought about what he'd said but there was still an air of uncertainty in the frown that drew down those thin golden brows. The protectiveness that had always been a part of Iruka came out then, and he just had to pry gently at the teen to see if he could get him to answer. "Are you sure you won't tell me who he is, Naruto?"

That heated blush came back into those golden cheeks then, and in spite of the chill that was beginning to surround them as night fell, Iruka swore he could feel the heat from that blush from where he was sitting. "No." Naruto whispered. "I…want to keep it to myself a bit longer."

Nodding his understanding, Iruka accepted that decision, his curiosity now more spiked than ever. He knew it wouldn't be too hard to find out if he put his mind to it, but if Naruto didn't want to tell him right now, it was okay. But, he still had a warning to give the younger man, for he wanted to make clear the difference between love and lust. Gentling his voice, he began to speak again, and he told Naruto the way love makes you want to be with that person in every way possible, and to share your body with them. The blush only intensified as he broached that delicate subject but he wasn't going to spare the teen that embarrassment and have his heart be broken. "But, don't mistake lust for love…be sure before you make that type of sexual commitment."

Naruto looked at his sensei, and then swung away as Iruka released the chains of his swing, and he tipped his head back to stare at the clear night sky full of white, twinkling stars. He pondered his sensei words, understanding the difference between the long-term promise of love and the brief fulfillment of lust. He didn't think this was just a _phase_. He didn't think that Kakashi thought that way either…the man was kind and comforting just the way Iruka said love was. And his touches…his touches were that good kind of dangerous. He shivered as he thought of them, swinging back and forth and watching the sky. For long moments, he just swung and thought, and when he made his mind up he planted his feet down and came to a sudden halt, a smile curving over his mouth.

_There's only one way to find out for sure what this is. _He decided, that smile growing into a smirk. _I'm just going to get to know this man and spend all of the time with him that I can. _A laugh escaped him as he made up his mind, and he giggled harder as he felt his sensei's eyes on him and he could almost feel Iruka's confusion at hearing his amusement, but Naruto knew he'd be able to do that. To get to know Kakashi and maybe even see what was under that mask beside the lips he'd already nearly kissed, and the man wouldn't even know what hit him until it was too late.

_Training starts tomorrow!_

**Wow, we worked extremely hard on this chapter and I hope we get a lot of reviews so please do tell others about this story and please review because we worked on this one for a long time, I want to say thank you to Cicatrix6 for being such a good fan and reviewer and to please check her story "Still Waters Run Deep" it is such a good story and I think she will achieve here goal! Next I want to thank Prescripto13 for reviewing and telling others about my story, but last I have to thank my co-writer because I can really trust her and talk to her about where I want this story to go and she will always tell me what she thinks and she is a hard worker! For all you halo fans like me check out DisturbedMurphy's story Unrecorded, Unremembered which I am a character in! **

**Naruto 604 came out and as you guys all know Tobi is Obito, well what do you guys think? Tell me at the bottom of your review and how you feel about this, and please do review we writers work hard and that keeps us going.**

**Thank you guys so much and we will start working on chapter 12 very soon! Love you guys your friends- Deathwish, and KitElizaKing**

**Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 12**

**Better Days**

"_Will you be here or will I be alone, will I be_

_Scared, you'll teach me how to be strong and if I_

_Fall down will you help me carry on, I cannot do_

_This alone" – Stay by 12 stones_

_Tired, bleary eyes opened to stare into the dimness around him. He was alive. For some reason the Uchiha hadn't killed him, and he was captive here, wherever 'here' was, somewhere in the Land of Grass. Everything he could see was blurry and from the consistent and insidious ache in his head, he was sure he had a concussion. Even worse though, was the throbbing pain in his shoulders and back from where his arms stretched away from him, fastened by a chain to keep them above his head. The chakra imbued into the chains buzzed against his skin, the jutsu in the metal designed to keep him from using any of his own to escape. Not that it was necessary now…he was far too weak to do anymore than rattle them ineffectively._

_So, instead, he focused on the floor, watching the same dark patch appear and disappear under his slowly swinging feet. The ANBU concentrated on clearing his sight, hoping that he could at least identify the conditions they were holding him in. This wasn't the time to question exactly why he was still alive—he had an idea that he already knew the answer to that—but it was better to forget about that and concentrate on getting his vision back to normal. That dark burgundy spot kept reappearing and he looked directly at the wet, shaded color and as he sight slowly came back he saw that the splotch wasn't just a spot but blood…his blood. He was bleeding, and the wetness of his left calf registered itself on his senses as he realized that. It didn't feel too bad, but without seeing it, the ANBU had no idea if it was bad or not._

_Looking up, the young man tried to see how he'd been hung. There were shackles on his wrists, the chains on them leading to an enormous, slanted iron pole that was attached to a stone wall behind him. Marshalling his strength, he tried to break free, but all of his strength was still lost to him, and he was nowhere near recovered from fighting __**him**__. _

"_How long have I been here?" The young man whispered into the silence of the room, just wanting to hear something other than the sound of his own breathing. "How long have I been unconscious?" _

_A shadow drifted across his vision, and for the first time he noticed a ray of moonlight beaming down into the room. Raising his aching head once more, he looked up and up, and saw the star-speckled sky through a barred opening in the ceiling, the white light of the moon shining through it. Normally the sight would have been beautiful, but the pain in his body, and the dire circumstances he found himself In, made it seem cold and sinister, sliding over his face, and shining off the dark brown locks of the long hair hanging over his chest.. That same moon was hanging over his village, over Konoha, and he knew that somehow he had to get out of here and tell the Hokage what he knew…"_

"_**I can't believe this!"**__ The angry words brought the young ANBU out of his thoughts, and he instinctively listened in, knowing that every bit of information he could gather could only aid him in the long run. _

_From the other side of the barred door guarding his prison, a deeper, rougher voice answered, the tone patronizingly firm. "Hidan, enough! We have orders." The voice of the man who just spoke seemed to reverberate through the closed-up room and the young man shivered at the sound of it. There was something 'wrong' about that voice, as if it had seen too many deaths and too much evil and just didn't care anymore._

"_But Kakuuzuuuu… I wasn't here when the old frog freak tried to stop us! Jashin is already mad about that, and it took me hours of prayer to get his forgiveness. If only I could kill this kid, offer him as a proper sacrifice, Jashin would praise me for being his greatest follower!" Straining his ears, the young man kept listening, but he could feel the exhaustion creeping up over him again, and he knew that he wouldn't be conscious for much longer._

"_If you wanted to kill something so bad, why didn't you help Yami grab this so-called rebellion leader, you annoying pest? Besides, don't you get it? This kid lived through a fight with Itachi with all of his limbs intact. And, he's got something that's going to make me a lot of money so I'm not letting you and your greedy god anywhere near him." _

_He was fighting the darkness trying to overtake him, but his heart was seizing up as he heard those words. He'd certainly been right about the reason that he was still alive._

"_What was that, Kakuzu?" That high, excitable voice again with that slight thread of insanity. _

_The young man could feel his body numbing and shutting down, and he wanted to scream to keep himself awake… he had to stay awake... he had to stay alive…_

"_That seal on his forehead, Itachi called it the Caged Bird Seal and…" and as those words were spoken, the ANBU was carried away by the darkness once more. _

Kakashi slid from the warm blankets on his bed and looked blearily around the room; he was as tired as hell. What was going to be an exercise to keep his mind off of all of the things that were affecting him, had turned into exhaustive series of contests, each one more heated and energetic than the last. Kunai target practice had turned into sparring, he and Gai going at it with blades and shuriken, dodging and slashing, and then they'd decided to race, and he'd agreed to every suggestion his effusive friend had made after that, grasping at them in order to keep from thinking about Naruto and the Akatsuki and war. But, it hadn't worked very well, for Kakashi couldn't get his mind off of the blond teen, no matter how hard he pushed himself, and his best friend had noticed his lack of concentration, his dark eyes looking at him worriedly as they'd sat panting in a tree, far above the churned up field of icy mud below them.

"You are distracted, my eternal rival." Gai had said, laying back on a wide branch, and giving him a look of curiosity that made Kakashi want to blush. Maito Gai was loud and enthusiastic, but he knew him very well, and the green-clad man always knew exactly how to pry apart the things swimming around in Kakashi's head.

"Aaa…" He'd replied, giving Gai an unconvincing eye smile. "Just a little puzzle that won't leave my heart alone."

That answer had gotten Gai's attention and he'd sat up, his dark eyes glistening with a sudden influx of fat, salty tears. "My rival has fallen in love!" He cried out, flashing that brilliant smile of his. "What a glorious springtime you must be experiencing in your heart!"

Much insistent badgering and pleading had followed that rather intuitive statement, with the green-clad man doing his best to get the identity of Kakashi's love interest out of him. But, the Copy-Nin had kept his cool, much to the teary disappointment of the other man, and he'd finally desisted when Kakashi's empty stomach had made its needs known.

That rather innocuous sound had given Gai a new idea. A new sushi place had opened up a few months ago, and he knew that sushi was one of Kakashi's preferred foods. Believe it or not, Kakashi really enjoyed sushi, often stating that it had all of the important things to support your body…proteins, carbs, various veggies… just the things to fuel active Shinobis. So, issuing a sushi-eating challenge didn't seem to be that bad of an idea, and the alacrity with which his cool rival took him up on the contest should have tipped him off to the ulterior motive the other Jounin had for accepting it. _Eating and talking were nigh impossible to do at the same time._

Between the two of them, they ate enough 'all you can eat' to put the poor owner out of business, but Kakashi conceded before making himself sick, after all, he had training with Naruto tomorrow. But, his stomach had roiled and turned as he'd watched Gai forcing down that last spider roll, for the man had turned as green as his leotard, and Kakashi had made sure to keep himself well of range just in case. Thankful for the generous distractions his friend had been making for him since the funeral, he'd picked up the tab, sending Gai on his way with strict instructions to sleep before attempting to even think about taking on one of his self-imposed challenges. The last thing the ANBU on duty tonight needed was to track one of Konoha's most famous Jounin around by the odiferous up-chuck he was leaving behind him.

Rolling to his feet, Kakashi got out of bed, hissing faintly at the cold wood beneath his bare feet. It didn't do much to wake him up though but the shivers curled his toes and worked their way into his ankles as he took a few steps towards the window to raise his blinds. He grimaced as he looked down at himself, remembering that he hadn't bothered to get undressed before shunting himself into bed last night. He was still in his black mourning attire, and it was ripped and torn, and stained with the bits of food that hadn't quite made its way all the way into his mouth last night. Squinting out of his window, he could see the rosy light of dawn just turning the fallen snow pink, and he yawned, acknowledging that this was a good time to get up after all. And, a very good time for a shower. Perhaps that would wake him up.

He didn't take too much time in the shower, emerging to dress in his usual Jounin uniform. His winter mourning gear was a write-off, no amount of mending or cleaning was going to fix what he and Gai had done to it, so it was straight into the garbage for that. As he dropped it in, he made a sudden, fervent wish that he wouldn't need to replace those black clothes, not for a long, long time yet. The shiver that answered those thoughts made the very practical side of his experienced mind scoff, with what was happening in the Land of Grass, that wish was very much wishful thinking.

Kakashi walked back to his bed and pulled a small scroll from his bedside stand, using a few hand signs to make his weapons pouch appear from inside of it. Strapping it around his thigh, he looked up at the calendar sitting there beside his clock. Soon it would be December, and that meant Christmas. A small smile curved his lips as he thought about the holiday, and knew that this year it might be a little different for him. Christmas had never been his favorite holiday for the most obvious of reasons. It wasn't that he didn't like giving gifts, or seeing others gets gifts; watching the excited faces of the kids as they played with their new toys lightened his heart and made him smile. But, the holiday was one that he tended to avoid since he didn't have anyone that he was that close to, it was usually just another day for him…a day when he took missions so that the other Shinobi that had families didn't have to. This year though, perhaps he'd take the day off, just to see what might happen. That thought made a bit of blood stain the skin high on his cheekbones, and he remembered that he'd already decided what to give Naruto for a gift.

_Gifts, huh…_ After the death of his mother, Christmas had become holiday-non-grata in his home, and once his father was gone, the day had disappeared from his personal lexicon altogether. Since then, Kakashi had only received four gifts: The necklace that Kushina-san had given him; the special kunai that Minato-sensei had presented to him; Rin's little med kit, and the singular gift that had changed his life, the Sharingan that Obito had gifted him with before dying. Though, if he were to be honest, Obito's Nin-do should be counted as another gift, for he'd lived his life by those words ever since. Pushing up the hitai-ate, he placed his hand over Obito's eye to feel the delicate, throbbing curve of it against his fingertips, thoughts of the dark-haired, perpetually late kid crowding his mind. With a deep sigh he shook himself, and slid his fingers away, pulling the headband back down. It was time for him to leave if he wanted to get to Naruto on time, so he tugged on his winter gear and headed out, happy enough to still have a full enough stomach from last night so he didn't have to worry about breakfast.

Just like every other normal day, Kakashi stopped at the Memorial Stone. Dropping down to one knee, Kakashi rubbed his thumb over his loved ones' names. Tracing each one, he smiled under his mask as his thumb went over Kushina-san's name. "I am giving your son the necklace you gave me." He said softly, hearing in his mind what that fiery redhead would have said back to him. She would have approved, there was no doubt, and given him that special smile that could make anyone fall in love with her. He paused there, almost hearing her voice; like that name on the stone was speaking to him. "I think he should have something from you guys, even if he can't know who it was exactly that gave it to me."

Disquiet filled him after he spoke those words. Now that he was aware of his feelings for Naruto, he hated the Third's law even more. Kakashi wanted Naruto to know who his parents were, and be inspired by the way they'd lived their lives. Why shouldn't the teen have a family history just like everyone else? Why should he be denied his heritage?

Standing, he brushed the snow from his knee, taking one last look at the names engraved in stone before him. The sun was nearly full over the horizon to the east, and he knew he still had time to kill before he was 'late', but he was feeling like he wanted to do something different. Now that he'd accepted the fact that he was falling for his ex-student, it was time to see if Naruto was having the same feelings for him. Going slowly, and carefully, and treating the blond with the tenderness that such a special spirit required, would take a very delicate touch, but he knew he could do it, if it ended with that warm, compact body pressed up against his own. Today though, the best way to start off would have to be….

Showing up on time

Naruto had arrived on time, at 7 o'clock, as ordered. He didn't really expect Kakashi to show up any earlier than ten, just as he'd joked, but he'd thought he'd get the nervous tension out by doing some warm-ups and training all on his own before the silver-haired man got here. Sleep had evaded him last night because his mind was so busy going over and over how he was going to find out about his ex-sensei and his feelings, and he felt like he'd come up with some good ways to prod the man into revealing his emotions without being too obvious about it. At least he hoped he'd thought of some good ways…being stealthy wasn't exactly his strong point, and Naruto knew that.

Settling into some stretches, he worked the kinks out of his limbs, deciding to do some laps first to warm up. A slow jog around the perimeter of the field a few times, would get his muscles warmed and limber, and then he could concentrate on other, more vigorous training exercises after that. Starting out, Naruto had just completed one lap when Kakashi appeared before him, the abrupt arrival of the Jounin shocking him into a sliding skid in the snow that almost had him on his butt. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!" He yelled, pointing a finger at him in astonishment. "You're early!" Naruto's face bloomed an embarrassed crimson as he realized he'd just echoed his ten-year-old self right down to the finger hanging in the air between them. The smile that curved the other man's eye told Naruto that he'd realized it too, so he wasn't surprised when Kakashi rocked back on his heels to take a look at him and drawl a "Good morning to you, too, Naruto."

Closing his mouth with an audible snap and letting his finger drop, the blond didn't know what to do, and then he grinned, and a mischievous light came into his blue eyes. "Well," he said, taking those few steps across the snow-covered field to join the Jounin. "It's official then…hell **has** frozen over."

Kakashi returned the grin, liking how Naruto had sassed him back. He deserved it, surely, for he'd often deliberately driven his students mad by being late for their training sessions. It had always been interesting to hang about and see how they used that extra time he gave them. When the day had come that they'd used it for training, and then he'd stopped being quite so late and started showing up earlier.

"More than likely." Kakashi returned the grin, his mouth curving under his mask so the teen could see it. He tugged his hands out of his pockets and went to join Naruto as he came towards him, leaning over him to take in the lightweight winter clothing he'd chosen with an approving eye. "Ready to start your training?" Both of their attitudes were lighter and easier than he might have thought possible, given the sad event of yesterday, but there was no mistaking the eager gleam in those lovely blue eyes, or the flush of color on the tanned skin.

"Yep!" Naruto replied, almost bouncing in place. The sun had just started to flood the field they were using with light, the warm golden and pink tones of it lending the other man's silver hair with oddly attractive peach highlights. "You know." He said teasingly, gazing at his teammate's hair. "Sakura would probably be pretty jealous of you, if you actually had that hair color."

Casting an inquiring eye at the fall of hair he could see, Kakashi grinned at the sight of it, exchanging a nod with Naruto. "Aa, you're right, Naruto. We'd better not tell her then, hmmm?"

The chuckle they shared warmed the both of them, and Naruto found the worry he'd brought with him seeping away under the older man's easy attitude. "So, what are we doing today, Kakashi-sensei?" He'd never fallen off of calling the man that, and now it seemed apt again, for what was he doing but teaching him?

"Well, remember when you went after Sasuke with Yamato?" Kakashi said, starting with the most important issue. "The Uchiha was able to get into you…into your seal and disrupt your connection to the Kyuubi." It had taught them all a very important lesson about how vulnerable a Jinchuuriki was to a Sharingan, and, more importantly, it had shown him how vulnerable Naruto was to a boy that he no longer trusted.

"Yeah, I remember." His voice was hoarse and scratchy as he recalled that day, and the casually cruel way his 'friend' had spoken to him. Naruto swallowed hard, moving closer to the Jounin for the physical reassurance of his presence, a movement that was not lost on Kakashi, who felt his heart warm at the sight of it. "He made it so I temporarily couldn't access the demon's power, I didn't know he could do that." In fact, the sight of someone else in his inner world had darn near paralyzed him.

"We need to make sure that cannot happen again. Not with Itachi and Sasuke both running around out there."

"Okay?" Naruto gulped, having a feeling he knew where this was going, and when the silver-haired man raised a hand to push up his hitai-ate, he was sure of it.

"Genjutsu training."

The slowly spinning tomoe of his sensei's eye was exposed to him, and with no warning, Naruto felt himself being sucked into the Genjutsu, all of his senses being suborned by the power that dwelt within that red eye.

_The woods were dark, the sun not able to penetrate very far into the thick canopy so that it was like a perpetual twilight even amongst the highest branches. Naruto was pushing himself as hard as he could, chasing the one fleeing before him, the mocking laughter floating back at him and driving him on. Every so often he'd glance down at his bloodied hands and remember the broken body of his teammate. Sakura was dead…violated and brutally murdered by the one he was chasing, the agonized cries of Lee still echoing in his head. He was going to catch him. Naruto was going to catch him and kill him for what he'd done. He just had to catch him._

"_Poor Naruto." The voice mocked him, and anger burned in his heart. "Lost another precious person…loser."_

_Quickening his movements, he leapt forward, but he couldn't gain ground, couldn't catch up, he was going to get away._

"_NO no nonnoo!" This was wrong this was wrong…all wrong wrong wrong. Abandoning his pursuit he allowed the dark-haired figure in shapeless gray to speed away, choosing instead to focus his chakra and make the necessary hand sign._

"_KAI!"_

The morning sky blared into his eyes like a flare gone off right in front of him and all of Naruto's senses suddenly rang in with what was happening to him. "Sasuke…" It was the first word out of his mouth as he looked up at his sensei, feeling the icy cold snow at his back, melting through his gear. Releasing the genjutsu had put him right down in the snow, and as the silver-haired man came to go down on his haunches beside him, Naruto could see worry and approval warring for precedence in that single gray eye.

"Was that supposed to be Sasuke?" He asked, levering himself up off of the ground, so he could look Kakashi in the eye. Naruto didn't quite know how he should feel about that if it were, for he still wanted to try and bring his friend back. His initial urge was to be angry, but looking at the Jounin, he could see the anxiety in that normally placid face, and he wasn't surprised when one of the man's hands came to rest on his shoulder.

"Maa, Naruto. Was that who you saw?" Kakashi asked lightly, the hard glint in his gray eye belying his light tone. The genjutsu he'd put the blond under hadn't been chosen easily. He'd thought about what conditions the teen would face out there, and knew that his ex-student was probably the most dangerous one of all, quite simply because Naruto wouldn't protect himself against him the way he should. "You know why I did that, don't you?"

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Naruto gulped it down anyway. Sasuke was the reason they knew this training was necessary, and he couldn't find any anger in him that Kakashi was trying to teach him how to be prepared if the dark-haired teen attacked him this way. "I understand, Kakashi-sensei." He nodded reluctantly, his blue eyes seeking out and then flickering away from that gray one. "But you know I still want to bring him back, right?"

"I know." The Jounin replied, "…and I respect that. But I will train you just in case."

The tone of the man's voice brought Naruto's full attention back to him, and when he caught the careful, caring gleam in his sensei's eye all of the turmoil he'd been feeling righted itself, warmth creeping into him that the man cared so very much for him, and a smile that reflected that warmth spread over his face. "I know, Kakashi-sensei." He smiled. "Thanks a lot." Reaching up, he'd decided it was time to do a little experimenting like he'd thought of doing on that swing last night. Naruto figured this was what he was going to have do to find out how the man felt about him, so he grabbed a hold of the collar of the man's Jounin vest and used it to pull himself upwards, hiding his pleasure when the silver-haired man let loose an astonished gasp and had to brace himself lest he was pulled right over into the snow with him. As it was, Kakashi's face ended up just about in Naruto's midsection and the brief look they exchanged as they both worked to right themselves made them both blush.

Fine Shinobi they were, getting tangled up like this just because Naruto was trying to get to his feet. But, Kakashi wasn't under any misapprehension that the teen hadn't meant to do that so he held back the grin that really wanted to appear and he accepted the wet, icy-feeling hand the blond offered him to get back up. The Jounin didn't miss the way Naruto's lips quirked at the corners as he gazed up at him, the same mischievous glint in those sky-blue eyes that had been there as a prank-playing boy.

"Maa, Naruto." He said, giving in and letting that grin out. He flicked the end of the teen's nose with the tip of a single finger. "You had snow on your nose." They looked at each other, blue eyes meeting a single gray, and Kakashi could see the curiosity in those sky-colored ones, and he knew that Naruto was looking for something in him. _Could it be_? He wondered. Was the teen questioning the same things he was? A…_shyness_ he didn't know he could possess rose up inside of him, and he almost laughed at himself. The famous porn-reading Kakashi feeling all shy in front of the golden-haired boy he'd once taught?

With a laugh he brought up his hands and made the hand signs for the Shunshin, disappearing from Naruto's sight in a whirl of smoke and leaves and leaving behind a spread of kunai that flew through the air towards the astonished younger man with deadly precision. "Taijutsu, Naruto!" He sang out, reappearing behind the blond to scatter a few more.

Naruto leapt out of the way just as the black blades whistled past, the surprise on his face evident, and then he echoed his sensei's laugh, wondering just for a moment where the lazy, laconic man he'd known three years ago had disappeared to. He threw out a spread of kunai of his own, meeting the incoming blades and knocking them all astray. There'd been something in that moment, when they'd been eye-to-eye, he'd been sure that Kakashi was beginning to react to what he'd done. But the man had jumped away from it and though he was disappointed, he figured it was a good start, so he dashed towards his sensei at a dead run, two Kage Bunshin he'd created on the sly flanking the silver-haired man.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Kakashi-sensei?" He shouted the grin on his face in the tone of his voice. Naruto had been hoping to surprise the other man, but his two shadow clones _poofed_ back into him as they were destroyed and the long, lean form of the Jounin disappeared from view once more. "Oh, so that's how you want to play it?" Laughter flew from him as he gave chase, and between the two of them, they tore up the field, Naruto striving to catch up to the speeding form of his sensei.

For the rest of the morning it was like that, training somehow becoming more like playing as he and Kakashi ripped around the field, practically destroying it. But, it wasn't like his sensei wasn't teaching him anything…no, Kakashi would spring Genjutsu on him without warning, and Naruto would have to recognize and release himself from it. By noon, he'd been on the wet, cold ground enough times to soak his pants right through, and when his sparring partner called a time-out for lunch, he was more than ready to drape himself over a tree branch and tuck into the Bento boxes the Jounin had brought.

After lunch it was much the same. Kakashi's Genjutsus grew in detail and strength, as if he'd been testing Naruto beforehand to see what he was capable of. By the time the winter sun had begun to sink towards the horizon they were both dirty and near exhaustion and so hungry that the Bento box seemed like it had been for breakfast _yesterday_ and Naruto was dying to put something more into his aching stomach.

"You did a great job today, Naruto." Kakashi's warm tenor, a bit thin with fatigue, but nonetheless full of approval sounded over his shoulder, and the teen swung about to look up at his teacher. The gray eye was warm, searching over his face and finding each scratch and bruise that marked his skin from their sparring. "Not too bad, ne?" He asked, and Naruto felt the happiness that welled within him that the silver-haired man had cared enough to ask.

"Nah…" He grinned, one hand rising up to card through the matted, sweaty hair at the nape of his neck. "I think I came out of it all right."

Looking over the blond once more, Kakashi was glad to note that he thought so, too, for the younger man was still as energetic as ever, even after a day's worth of training that had drained a lot of his chakra. He was going to need a good night's rest and a belly full of food to be ready to do the same thing tomorrow. The Jounin was about to speak, to bid the teen a good night, when Naruto spoke first, a shy smile gracing those full lips as sparkling cerulean eyes gazed up at him.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I think you owe me a dinner." The tease in that hoarse young voice plucked at something inside of Kakashi, and he returned the teen's gaze, that single eyebrow rising inquisitively. "Oh?" He responded, rocking backwards on his heels and bending forwards at the waist so that he loomed a bit.

"Yeah." Naruto replied, that smile stretching into a grin. "You promised yesterday."

The Jounin _hummed_ as he recalled his agreement, reaching over to thread his long fingers into the sunshine locks of the teen's hair and give it a good ruffling. "All right then, Naruto, I guess you earned it today. Where do you want to go? For ramen?" It was a safe bet; ramen **was** the blond's favorite food after all.

"Umm, I don't think so." Pausing to think, Naruto's eyes lit up as he thought of the perfect place to take the man he was trying to get to know. As great as Ichiraku's was, it was too small and too public to be…_alone_ with Kakashi, he needed to take the man somewhere more private. "You know that new sushi place that opened up a couple of months ago…we could go there!"

A flush of color that had nothing to do with a blush, and everything to do with the intense desire to throw up tainted the pale skin beneath Kakashi's mask, and he barely stopped himself from making a retching noise at the suggestion the other Shinobi had made. "Maaa, Naruto." He drawled, swallowing hard. "Wouldn't you rather have ramen?" _Please?!_

"Aww…everyone's always telling me I should eat better and not have so much ramen and here I am trying to do that and you want to take me to Ichiraku's!" Which was usually an awesome idea, but he really wanted to go somewhere _else!_

Bringing up his hands, Kakashi waved them at the teen, trying to head off the eruption he could see coming his way. "All right, all right, Naruto!" He exclaimed, rocking backwards on his heels this time lest the blond jump on him or something. _Not that he'd mind that, by the way, not after the way the younger man had taken every opportunity to touch him today._ Maybe that's why he'd had so much fun. In between dodging kunai and flying fists, he'd become aware of how much the teen wanted to touch him, and dodging those errant fingers had become a part of the spar, too. Looking down at the blond, his lower lip stuck out in a pout, Kakashi was sure that Naruto was just as interested as he was, and if that was the case…

"Hey, Naruto…"

A mischievous lilt thrummed through his sensei's voice, and that sound made Naruto's mouth go unexpectedly dry, and his heart start to beat a little harder in his chest. "Er, yeah?" That sound in his sensei's voice usually indicated that the man was about to do something weird, and in days past he would have been making ready to shout out his dismay in a very loud and obnoxious manner. But, since he'd realized how he was starting to feel about Kakashi, the anticipation this time was like tingling in his nerves, and Naruto was drawn closer to the Jounin, all of his senses focused on what might be coming next.

"How about we compromise? The man said his voice light now, but still teasing. "Go home, shower, and meet up at the barbecue place at six?"

_Eh? That's it?_ Naruto wanted to frown, but his confusion was halted by how the silver-haired man was looking down at him, a gleam in his gray eye that said he wasn't done with him yet. "Oh, okay?!"

"Great! It's a date."

With one last grin, Kakashi disappeared, his signature smoke and leaves swirling around Naruto's ankles as he fought to swallow down his surprise. "Wait…" He whispered to himself, his thoughts whirling around inside of his head. "Did he just say 'date'?"

For a moment it as all he could do to just stand there, trying to gather up his wits. That four-letter word was kind of repeating itself inside of him as he tried to grab a hold of it. "**He said 'date'!**" Naruto finally crowed, throwing himself into a huge leap forward. A long, hoarse laugh escaped him as he began to run, the blond chuckling with glee all the way back to his apartment. _Home, shower, date. Home, shower, date._ This was going to be fun!

Kakashi had actually given him way too much time to get ready, for his shower had taken mere minutes and after that he'd stood before his small closet and considered its meager contents, scratching his head at the absolute lack of variation in his clothing. If he'd thought his sensei's drawer contained a lot of cloned clothes, while then his wasn't any better—orange or black as far at the eye could see. "Well, damn." Naruto muttered, eyeing the whole lot of it. "It would have been nice to wear something a little different." A grin made his blue eyes sparkle as he considered the thought that had just come to him. _Never thought the day would come when I'd be thinking of a color other than orange._ He chuckled, and then spent the next hour pulling everything out of his closet to try it on. By the time Naruto was ready to leave, he'd settled on…orange and black…but they were the nicest clothes that he owned for sure.

A pair of black dress pants and a black sweater that had been a present from Sakura disappeared under his winter coat as he got dressed again to go out. The sweater had a bit of an orange thread woven through it, and the edges of the neck and cuffs were orange as well. He hoped it looked as good on him as he thought it did, and made himself a mental promise to go shopping for _other_ clothes next time he had a chance. He had no idea what Kakashi was going to wear, he'd just probably show up in his Jounin uniform again. Not that he didn't make it look good, mind you. Naruto's cheeks heated with blood as he stepped back out into the cold and locked the door behind him, his heart taking him quickly across the village towards his destination.

_Date._ Well, damn. _Why did I have to go and use that word?_ He'd been kind of caught up in the wonder of the moment, and in the discovery that Naruto might just like him the same way he liked the blond. As he stood in front of his bathroom mirror and considered the state of his untamable hair, Kakashi grinned, revealing white, even teeth and a single dimple just below the scar on his left cheek, he considered what the teen might be doing right now in order to get ready. _Probably trying on all of his clothes to figure out what he was going to wear._ A little frisson of heat went through him at that thought…that the teen was doing his best to impress him right now. Chuckling at himself, Kakashi dropped his toothbrush back into the cup beside the sink and went out into his apartment to decide what _he_ was going to wear.

In the years since he'd left the ANBU, he'd rarely ever worn anything other than his Jounin uniform, as a result, as Naruto had discovered, there wasn't much in his chest of drawers except the same thing. But, he did have a stash of civilian clothes in a storage scroll in his closet, and as he pulled that down and opened it, he was glad to see that most of it would still fit him. It wasn't for the sake of their friendly rivalry that he took Gai up on his challenges so often…they really did help to keep him fit.

Ten minutes later he was dressed and lounging in one of his kitchen chairs, Naruto's thick file laid out all over the table before him. Kakashi had an hour left to waste, so he figured he may as well get some reading done. And, this information so carefully gathered by Jiraiya, could only help him to train the teen better.

Naruto lingered outside of the barbecue place for ten minutes, trying to look cool and unconcerned as he waited for his date to show up. He figured that Kakashi would be late—the man nearly always was—but that didn't stop him from constantly looking at the clock he could see through a nearby shop window. He was doing that when a whirl of air that blew against the prevailing wind alerted him to the presence of another, and when his head whipped around he was surprised to see the silver-haired man that had just been in his thoughts, smiling down at him with that single eye.

"Yo, Naruto." Kakashi greeted the younger man with a smile, but still wearing his famous mask looking down at Naruto all bundled up in his coat. The blond had left his hitai-ate off, and his soft golden hair hung down over his blue eyes in a very fetching way. "Shall we go in?"

With a dumbfounded nod Naruto followed the other man in, feeling his heart start to beat a little harder as he checked out what the man was wearing from behind…including his behind. Swallowing hard, he couldn't help but notice how nicely the black jeans Kakashi was wearing fit that rear much better than his usual uniform did. When his cheeks heated he snatched his eyes away, but that didn't stop his heart from beating just that much harder and those tendrils of heat from crawling around in his stomach. Iruka's words from last night about sharing his body with the one that he loved made his eyes go round in the moment before they were seated, and when he plopped down in the booth opposite Kakashi he couldn't even bear to look at the man.

"Ne, Naruto…are you all right?" The teen was uncharacteristically quiet, and a faint flush decorated his cheeks. The distant look that unfocused the bright blue eyes had Kakashi wondering what the blond was thinking of that made him look so shy and preoccupied. He was about to reach across the table to touch Naruto's hand when the cheerful voice of his other loyal student interrupted his action.

"Kakashi-sensei! Naruto! What are you two doing here?"

Turning to look at Sakura, Kakashi's eyebrows raised towards his hairline as he took in the sight of the pink-haired young Kunoichi and the company she was keeping. "Lee." He said, acknowledging the presence of his friend's apprentice.

"Lee?" Naruto chirped, suddenly emerging from his distraction, his head swiveling in his friends' direction so quickly he almost hurt himself. "Oh, hey Sakura. Lee." A wide smile spread across his lips as he saw the two of them together. It seemed something good had come from his sorrow the other day and Sakura really was taking another, good, look at Bushy-brows. "What are you two doing here?"

Sakura shifted impatiently, looking from her sensei to her teammate and back again. "Lee's taking me out to eat." She informed them, a critical green eye taking in the sight of the other two, dressed in nice civvies. Frowning, her head cocked curiously, trying to figure out what was going on in front of her. "You two still haven't told me what you're doing here." She finally challenged, and her eyes widened as two spots of hectic red appeared in Naruto's cheeks and he shot a desperate look at their sensei. Just about to open her mouth and ask what was going on, the voice of her companion interrupted her. "It's obvious isn't it?" The young man said matter-of-factly. "Gai-sensei said that Kakashi-sensei was starting to train Naruto today. It must have gone really well, and they came out to celebrate."

"Er, _yeah!"_ Naruto grasped onto that explanation, a too-wide smile on his face. The pink-haired teen, who knew her teammate too well, frowned again at that smile, but was prevented from demanding further answers when her date insisted that they join the other two so they could all sit together.

More out a desire to see what Naruto and their perverted sensei were up to, rather than a want to share supper with them, Sakura agreed to Lee's suggestion and soon prodded her friend to get up and move around to sit beside the Jounin so she and Lee could share a seat. She was happy when the blond took off his coat and she saw that he was wearing the sweater she'd given him—it looked as good on him as she'd known it would—but it was strange the way Naruto kept glancing towards the silver-haired man and then looking away, as if he wanted to say something, or do something, but couldn't find the bravery to commit.

_Strange._ Making a mental note to talk to Lee, or Ino, about this tomorrow, Sakura let go of her suspicions and joined in on the ordering, and was relieved to find laughter and camaraderie with the others that lifted her spirit and made her smile. "Hey," she said. "This was a lot of fun." Looking up at Kakashi-sensei as the man stood to leave, his long, lean form unfolding from the booth with an audible and very satisfied sigh.

"It was." The man answered, gazing down at Naruto as he spoke, his eye seeking out those of the teen. "I had a very good time." With a tip of two fingers to his brow, Kakashi took his leave, the bills and coins he'd left behind on the table being scooped up by Sakura in order to add to the money Lee was counting out.

"You know," she said, her green eyes pensive. "That's the first time I've ever seen Kakashi-sensei pay for anything. Usually he just skips out on the bill with some lame excuse and leaves one of us to pay it."

"Well, yeah." Naruto answered without thinking. "He owed it to me." Sensing the quiet coming from the other side of the table he looked over at the two Shinobi and gave them an absolutely guileless smile. "What? He said d…_dinner_…he owed it to me." The blond teen threw himself into action, flinging himself from the booth to yank his winter coat down from the hook at the end of the bench. He kept his back to Sakura and Lee so they wouldn't see the weird flush that colored his cheeks because he'd almost said 'date', and shrugged his coat on, giving them a casual wave with the back of his hand as he began to walk away without looking back.

"I've got to go guys, training tomorrow. Thanks for the great evening."

Staring after her teammate, Sakura couldn't shake the feeling of bewilderment that was rising inside of her. Naruto had been quiet all evening, sitting between Kakashi-sensei and the wall and doing this kind of see-saw thing where he'd lean towards the Jounin, and then catch himself and then scoot in the other direction. And he hadn't eaten very much either, just the things that their sensei had put on his plate. And the silver-haired man had been different, too. Completely at ease, he'd spent part of the night lazing back again the bench, the deep red sweater he'd been wearing perfectly complimenting the collarless white shirt that had been underneath. And when he'd draped one long arm across the back of the bench Naruto's unconscious pattern of movement had only gotten worse. The whole thing had been…

"That was weird." Lee spoke beside her, bringing her attention back to him and his sparkling dark eyes as he perfectly echoed her own thoughts. The way he'd so unwittingly read her mind made her smile at him, and she watched how a blush lit up Lee's pale cheeks when she did that. _So cute._ She thought, only a little surprised to be thinking that. What had started out as a mission to let Naruto have some private time to heal had turned into a rather surprising afternoon of walking and talking and she'd come to know a Lee that was deeper and sweeter than she could have ever suspected.

"C'mon, Lee." She said, smiling deliberately just so she could see him blush again. "Walk me home, and I might let you kiss me on the cheek at the front door."

Sakura paused, waiting to see if he was going to go off like a firecracker—like a Gai-sensei-style firecracker- spouting nonsensical exclamations full of exuberant adjectives. But, after a brief struggle, the dark-haired teen satisfied himself with a blinding smile and double thumbs up, and then he offered his arm gallantly to his date. "Let's go, Sakura-chan." He crowed, radiating eagerness and readiness like a visible aura. "Your beauty will light up the night like an incandescent rose-colored star, and I'm anxious to bathe in your beautiful light."

"Oh, Lee." Sakura giggled, curling a little closer to the teen's side. Lee treated her so very well. He listened when she spoke and made an effort talk with her about what was bothering her. He told her that she was beautiful and smart, and she knew that he wasn't just telling her that. The teen just had a generous heart and a loving soul, and he wasn't afraid to share that with her. So different from…_well…__**him.**_ Perhaps her heart would have melted for him the way it was doing for Lee, if only he had been this kind to her, too. "You make me giggle when you talk like that."

Walking out into the cold night wasn't quite so bad when you had someone this warm beside you.

After a restless night full of half-dreamt images, Naruto dragged himself back to the training field the next morning anxious to see Kakashi, and dreading to see Kakashi. Their 'date' last night hadn't gone quite the way he thought it might, though—what he'd thought would happen was a question, too, Naruto didn't know what someone usually did on a date after all. Sakura and Lee showing up had been kind of a bummer, but it'd meant that he had to sit next to the Jounin and that had sent him home with a wee bit of a problem that had led to an embarrassing moment in his bed and images that had drawn him taut like a bowstring as he'd found his release. He was sure that he wasn't going to be able to look at the silver-haired man when he showed up for he knew he'd see just what he'd been fantasizing about when he did.

_Kissing. A lot of kissing. And hands…hands where they shouldn't have been and touching him…_

He was just about to start warming up with laps when there was a displacing _poof _of air and the man was there, bending over Naruto with his scarlet eye exposed, the little black tomoe already whirling. Instantly Naruto was sucked into the Genjutsu without ever having a chance to be shy about his fantasies, his whole body going stiff as the jutsu worked through him.

Watching carefully, Kakashi monitored Naruto's progression through the jutsu he'd cast, his one gray eye following the emotions flickering through those wide open blue ones. The teen had done so well yesterday at breaking them that he'd gone a little harder with the first one today, and he felt a surge of pride as he recognized the signs that the blond was already beginning to realize what was happening to him and focusing the chakra to break it.

At the first dawning flicker in the those cerulean eyes, Kakashi was in motion, two shadow clones bearing down on the hard-breathing, reawakening teen with lethal intent. Just as with yesterday, there was no rest for Naruto after emerging from the Genjutsu, just attack after attack, until the Jounin could spring another one on the unsuspecting teen. It made the day into an endless blur of flying weapons and mud and tumbling bodies, real and otherwise, and by the end of it, with the sun a purple shadow on the horizon they both lay exhausted, their legs flung overtop of one another as the cold of the ground soaked into their backs. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto had enough awareness to be embarrassed by how they were linked together; they were both just relieved to be at the end of another difficult training day.

"Ne, Naruto." Kakashi breathed, sitting up to tug his leg out from under the teen's. "See you tomorrow?"

Blue eyes switched sideways at the silver-haired man, and he gave Kakashi a nod and a grin. Just through sheer unrelenting motion alone Naruto had forgotten all about what had embarrassed him this morning. The Jounin had pushed him so hard and so fast that he'd barely gotten a chance to think at all, let alone harass the man as he had yesterday. But, he felt good. Naruto felt like he'd really worked hard and done his best and the approving warmth he could see in that single gray eye told him that Kakashi agreed.

This was a better and hotter feeling, and Naruto's heart kind of swelled in his chest to have the other man looking at him like that. There was a moment then, when their eyes met and a kind of breathlessness existed in the air between them, and Kakashi moved in and Naruto kind of swayed towards him and the blond just knew that something was going to happen. He opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly that single eye was fixated on his lips and the expression in the depths of that gray iris made Naruto shiver right to the very marrow of his bones. He'd seen that look before when he'd been looking in a mirror and thinking of ramen, but this version was much more _wanting_…_much more needy. _ Nervously, he licked his suddenly dry lips, and heard just the slightest noise come from the other man, as if Kakashi was strangling a moan, and when he shot a startled look at the Jounin, he could see how desperate he suddenly looked. Heat boiled deep in Naruto's belly then, and he gazed at the man, everything about the moment getting more intense the closer they drew together. _Was Kakashi going to __**kiss**_ him?

A gulp that was audible to both of their ears made the Jounin smile, and blue eyes avidly traced the movement of those lips beneath that black mask, wishing…_wishing…_

"Naruto." Kakashi whispered the blond's name and the teen felt the wash of the other man's hot breath over his face. He was so close. Was it really going to be a kiss?!

He did, he really did. He really wanted it to be a kiss.

The hot breath of air that huffed softly against his flushing skin made Naruto shiver again, the heat in his belly shooting out to ride along his nerves and through his blood like a million little sharp kunai pricking at him. Gently, ever so gently, the tip of Kakashi's nose brushed against his, and Naruto arched upwards eagerly…

"Tomorrow." Kakashi breathed the corner of his eye crinkling with affection and carefully reined in want. "I'll see you tomorrow." Startled eyes the color of a winter sky shot to his and he could see the disbelief in them. _Naruto truly wanted his kiss it seemed. _The thought pleased him immensely. Everything about the teen seemed to please him immensely and the urge to really lean in there and join their lips together beat in his blood like a second heartbeat. But it was too soon. Too soon. He and Naruto needed to get to know each other just a little bit better yet, and that first kiss should be saved for sometime more special, for without a doubt Kakashi knew that this would be Naruto's first. The blond had obviously never done that before.

The thrill that went through the Jounin at that thought was perverted and raunchy, and he wanted to moan the knowledge aloud. With an alacrity that made the teen lean back in alarm, he Shunshinned out of there, the promise of tomorrow already made, the thoughts of what he might have done if he'd stayed chasing him all the way home.

Naruto shouted his disappointment aloud, leaping to his feet to kick snow in the general direction of Kakashi's apartment. "Awww, sensei!" He shouted, knowing the other man couldn't hear him. "Damnit!" He was all a-tingle with the thought of their lips meeting, the vision of that chaste kiss like a bright beacon in his head. "You don't have to be such a damned tease!" With another disgruntled yell, Naruto set off for home, needing a shower now more than ever. It looked like he was in for another restless night. Well, the Jounin was going to pay for that tomorrow.

Tomorrow and the next day, and the one after that, Naruto chased Kakashi around the training field with a single-minded purpose to touch and be touched. Everything he did or attempted to do was in an effort to get that kiss he'd been denied. Even when the Jounin had to take a day off to recover his chakra after using so much casting Genjutsu and he brought in Gai-sensei to continue his Taijutsu training, he still made his actions revolve around the silver-haired man's position until the green-clad Jounin called a halt to the proceedings and left after giving Kakashi an amused look. His sensei was a little disgruntled with him that day, and it was Naruto that left early, going home with a grin on his face.

Days passed, and they sparred and fought, and Naruto found some time in his evenings to try and read some of the 'Icha Icha' books his old sensei had left behind. The plots were atrocious and thin…but he sure did learn a lot about how the sexes got together. He didn't know how much of this man/woman stuff applied to two men, but he'd paid attention to _everything_ that he thought men could do and _that_ had made his dreams just a little more detailed at night. At the very least it told him more about kissing, and he'd chased Kakashi harder after that, determined to catch him. The only day he'd behaved had been the day Kurenai-sensei had relieved the Jounin. In front of a woman, he found he just couldn't behave that way, and he paid close attention to the Genjutsu training she'd given him, even as his own sensei smirked at him from behind his mask, laying out on a tree limb high above his head.

Watching Naruto do his best to catch him was a sexy experience that Kakashi had never thought the younger man would ever have the nerve or the imagination to pursue. Now, of course, he realized that he should have known better, given the teen's lifelong determination to achieve all of the things he set his mind to. To know that he had become one of those very cherished goals made him feel a little like an untried teen again—though, he could have lived without the misery of having a clued-in Maito Gai tease him about Naruto's obvious affections. Somehow the weeks had slipped away from him, and now Christmas was only six days away, the page on his calendar this morning had said December 19th and since he'd already arranged to have Christmas Day off for the first time in years, he figured he'd better ask Naruto today if he had any plans.

"So, Christmas…" They lay panting once more on the ground, the soft cold carpet of newly-fallen and fluffy snow underneath them. For a change they hadn't churned it into a sodden, filthy mess, but had fought mostly in the trees that day. And now they lay comfortably with each other, deliberate, habitual exposure making them easy in the way Naruto lay over Kakashi's body, one arm draped around a lithe, hard-muscled waist as the teen breathed his harsh breaths onto a fabric-covered neck.

"Hmmm…" Naruto replied, simply contented to be where he was. He still hadn't gotten that kiss, but he _was_ working on it. "Christmas?"

"Yeah…maaa, you doing anything?"

Naruto swore his heart stuttered to a stop right then, freezing him for a moment before he caught a hold of himself, trying to play it as cool as the other man was obviously doing. "Um, yeah…" And he felt Kakashi stiffen for just a moment and he knew instinctively that that wasn't the answer the man had been hoping for. The fact his crush had wanted him to say 'no' made him hasten to fix his answer. "I mean, I…Iruka-sensei and I always spend Christmas Eve together, but he works Christmas Day so yeah…no…I'm not doing anything, um, then." A nervous little giggle escaped him and he gave the other man a closed-eye smile, the scars on his cheeks squinting up as he grinned.

"Good then. Christmas Day it is. Now, I hate to disturb you but I'm late for my meeting with the Hokage."

"Like that's ever bothered you before." Naruto came back, chortling at the man.

"Maa…I should have been there yesterday." The admission came as a sigh and Naruto rolled to the side so he could look at the man's profile.

"Wow that is late." And just like that, Kakashi was gone, the dust and the leaves and Naruto settling onto the snow behind him.

**Hey Guys, we both hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, and if you're not in the United States well... hope you had a great 23****rd**** I guess lol? We both worked really hard in this chapter because we took a lot of time talking to each other and setting up for the next chapter. As you can see we have a guy called Yami in the story. This is a character we have made and from now on you will be seeing some characters we will make to help the story out a bit. Someone asked how many stories are going on in this story and yes there is a lot, right now we have three but more will come and some will stop, just keep reading to found out! Thanks again guys for reading this story I mean I have over 120 reviews now and I can't even tell you how happy we are. Cicatrix6 uploaded a new chapter and its really good so go check it out! **

**Thanks again guys and I have a questions for all of you… in the manga Tobi is Obito, do you think Kakashi will kill him or do you think something else will happen tell me in your review.**

**Thanks guys make sure to fav, follow and review because we are just getting started!**


	13. Chapter 13

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 13**

**Lost in You**

"_Save me from myself I can't relate_

_We're mouth to mouth and still I suffocate_

_There's nothing left inside for me to break_

_Save me from myself"_

_-Save Me From Myself by Vertical Horizon_

_ The weeks have gone by slowly, but with that the pain has gone by as well. The young ANBU had spent those weeks thinking of plans of escape, taking every opportunity he had during that time to find out more information about some of the members of this group they called the Akatsuki. Since he was fed about every other day, and his food was brought to him by a different member each time, he was able to start putting voices, names and now faces together to be able to identify some of the members of the dark group. The first member he could name was Hidan: Hidan had medium-length silver hair that was slicked back and distinctive purple eyes. He wore his Akatsuki cloak open with no shirt, only pants under it, revealing his Yugakure forehead protector around his neck and Jashin amulet. When he saw him for the first time, he noticed the Jashin amulet and remembered the first time he'd heard him talk about his crazy god, he put the two together. Soon he was able to name a few other members, but still time went by slowly and to pass the time he started thinking of his past and the people who played important roles in his life._

_It didn't take him long to think about his ANBU squad and how little time he had with them before he was sent off, but he'd enjoyed the time he did have trying to find out who each member was under their masks. Remembering the day he'd received this assignment seemed to follow after that, and he recalled the day he found out he would be leaving his new team- his new family- for this mission._

"_I've called your team in, Eagle, to tell you that I need one of your members for a mission." The Fifth Hokage said as she sat in her chair before them, her hands clasped upon her desk. He'd seen then that her hands were shaking. All of his team that were present in the room took note that their leader was in some kind of emotional pain, and he knew then that this mission was not just for the village but for her as well. _

_Eagle walked over to the desk and offered a quick bow. "Of course, my Lady, which one of my men do you need?" He stood respectfully before her, knowing that she was giving him the courtesy of acting like he had a choice in the matter, when he really didn't…whatever the Hokage ordered…they would have to do. He'd seen then how the Fifth hadn't even scanned the room to look at the men, she'd held her head up high and shut her eyes as she'd announced the name. "Bear, I need him for this mission." And that had been when all of those eyes had fallen upon him, standing by himself in the back of the room._

"_My lady!" Eagle had protested. "He's the newest member of my team and has only been with us a few weeks, please allow one of…"_

"_Enough!" Tsunade had snapped. The golden eyes had been fiery as she took refuge from her obvious pain in the anger she felt at being contested. "He is the only one who has the tool it will take to do this mission! Please take the rest of your team, Eagle, and leave us."_

_Bear looked down on the floor, staring at the stain his blood had left there as he remembered the rest of that meeting. He remembered his thoughts when he was told that the great Toad Sage had been killed and that he would play a role in stopping the group that had killed him. But, before he could get lost in his thoughts again, keen ears heard the scuffing sound of someone's approach, and the door to the cell was opened._

_A man with short black hair wearing the normal Akatsuki gear dragged an old man into the cell, and the young ANBU watched with half-slitted eyes as the old man was chained next to him. From the mutterings and imprecations that escaped from the black-haired man as he worked, Bear was able to figure out just who he was, deducing that he must be Yami, the one Hidan had bitched about a few weeks ago. Of course, though, it helped that the man had his name etched on both of the battle axes strung across his back, and as the man muttered a few more curses and tightened the chains of the new prisoner, Bear tipped his head back to look out the hole in the ceiling and remember what he'd heard all those days ago: __**"If you wanted to kill something so bad, why didn't you help Yami grab this so-called rebellion leader, you annoying pest?" **_

_Bear thought of those words as he stared through those slitted eyes at the Akatsuki, thinking hard. 'If this is Yami, then the old man is the rebellion leader. And the information I might get from him may aid my escape tremendously.' After that he waited patiently for the vindictive man to leave, his dislike of him growing with each extra little thing he did to cause the other, older, man more pain and distress. Finally though, he'd done all that he could do short of hanging the man, and left them alone, taking all of the noise he'd been making along with him._

"_Why are you here kid?" The old man spoke, breaking the silence, and his voice echoed in the stone chamber as faded brown eyes looked him over. _

_Bear offered him a half-smile slightly tinged with irony and shook his head, able to reply with only one word: "Classified." He said softly. The old man raised a brow and smiled, appreciating his dry attempt at humour while shaking his head regretfully._

"_Look… you're not going anywhere anytime soon, and neither am I. And, since I have a feeling we'll be here for some time why don't we make the best of it instead of not talking to one another?" A smile lingered around his lips as he listened to the man speak, not bothering to consider all of the things that the man was inferring. He had no intention of staying here any longer than he had to, so he dismissed those thoughts, which was unusual for him, for Bear was a man who liked to consider all the angles. But he had to admit that the old man was right about one thing... he wasn't going anywhere for a while yet._

_Those old faded eyes that were still focused on the ANBU, widened as he finally got a good look at the Shinobi's eyes, and after a moment the man spoke, his gaze travelling up to the distinctive emblem of the Leaf Village on the hitae-atai and back down again. "My name is Tzu." He finally said. "What's yours?" _

_Bear looked up at the ceiling once more just to see the moon shine. This man didn't even think twice about sharing his name and Bear didn't understand why someone would try to befriend an ANBU. Tipping his head back down, he saw that the old man was looking down at his feet, thinking that he wasn't going to get a answer, but that wouldn't dissuade him from speaking, not if Bear was any judge of men. "Look kid… if you-"_

"_Neji…"_

_The old man was taken aback. He looked up at the ANBU who was looking right at him with those eerie silver eyes._

"_My name is Neji"_

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Kakashi huffed as he made his way through the crowded store. This getting ready for a holiday was a lot harder than he'd ever thought it was…having to fight off frantic mothers and aggressive little old grannies was more daunting than taking on even the most powerful Akatsuki had been, if more so, because he couldn't hit them back when they nailed him. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd been swatted at with a purse, or run into with a shopping cart as he maneuvered the aisles in search of the perfect foods. Granted, he had earned a few of those…using superior Shinobi speed to steal things out from under the fingers that had been reaching for it did deserve a hit or two, didn't it? Still, though, he wasn't letting anything deter him from getting just the right food for this first Christmas with Naruto, he was determined that they would have everything they needed for tomorrow.

It was with those thoughts in his head that he rounded the end of the aisle, heading for the ramen display. No ready-made, cook-in-the-cup, for the boisterous teen, not this Christmas. Kakashi had plans to make his own, delicious noodles soaked in miso broth and served with pork and hard-boiled eggs, just like Naruto liked. Reaching out for one of the last packets of ramen noodles, his hand collided with another, and he recognized the unusually softer callouses of a fellow Shinobi with a raised eyebrow, following the arm up to the face to grin under his mask in hello. "Aa, Iruka. How's it going?"

Somewhere inside of him he swallowed hard, watching as the smaller man's gaze travelled back and forth from his face to the bag of noodles in his hand to the selection of goodies piled high in Kakashi's basket. There was no hiding the fact that they were almost all of Naruto's favourites, and he felt a wee blush heat his cheeks as the deductions whirled and clicked behind those rather sharp brown eyes. For a moment Iruka's eyes hardened, and he prepared himself for a blast, for the younger man was well-known for his vociferous protection of the blond teen that was fast becoming a part of Kakashi's heart.

For a long moment Iruka just stood and held that single grey eye, the various things he wanted to do and say to his former Jounin commander warring in his head. The weeks that had passed since he'd had that discussion with Naruto out under the Konoha moon had given him time to look around discretely and ask questions, but he'd learned nothing more than that the teen was training hard with Kakashi and doing very well. Iruka had even made it a point to just 'drop in on his way by', hoping to surprise a scene that would tell him who had captured the boy's heart, but that had proven to be useless, too.

Just talking to Naruto had reassured him somewhat. Those planned-impromptu visits had revealed a teen that was still easily embarrassed and he'd had to prod a bit to discover that they hadn't even kissed yet. So, standing before the man he'd always thought of as a not-so-closet pervert and finding out that he was wrong was not something he'd ever thought he'd have to do.

"Kakashi." He replied tersely, dropping his eyes down to the basket. Naruto had told him that he and his mystery interest had plans on Christmas Day so he wouldn't be dropping by the Missions Desk to visit him as he usually did, but now the incredible news that Kakashi Hatake's name wouldn't be on the rotation on the holidays for the first time in known memory made a futile kind of sense. "So, you're the one."

"Aaa…" Kakashi answered, releasing the package of noodles into his basket as he turned to look down at the shorter man. "I am." He could feel the fine hairs on his body standing on end as he waited for it. Surely the loudest, most intimidating teacher the Academy had ever produced would have something fierce to say to the man that was _courting_ the boy he thought of as a surrogate son.

_Everything in that basket is a part of Naruto's favourite foods._ Iruka thought, knowing that the silver-haired Jounin would be going home and spending the rest of the night cooking to get it done for tomorrow. _And he's been so gentle, and so…slow…in pursuing him._ Gritting his teeth, wanting to be able to yell and excoriate, and not finding any reason for it, he raised resigned angry eyes to the taller man, giving in for now, but **never** giving up. "You've been very good to him so far." He ground out begrudgingly, holding that gray eye with his own.

"Yes, I…" Kakashi started, pushing the fingers of one hand through the silver mass of his hair. He gulped down his fear, for the hard look of intimidation in those icy brown eyes was making him want to quiver a bit.

"Don't stop." Those two words, delivered in a voice colder and more precise than the iciest of winter winds, cut right through him, and he did shiver then as the smaller man didn't even bother to wait for him to answer. Picking up a package of udon noodles, Iruka just looked at him again as he began to walk away, the unspoken '**or, else…**' like an echo that beat at all of Kakashi's senses as he watched him disappear around the end of the aisle.

"I won't." He said softly, offering out the promise not only to the teacher, but to Naruto and to himself as well, and he clutched the basket closer to himself as he struck off to get the rest of what he needed. _Maa…_He thought to himself as he finally got into line-up to check out. _I guess I didn't know what I unleashed on the world when I urged him to take another look at Naruto and see beyond the Kyuubi inside of him._ Shaking his head, he moved up and up until it was time for him to pay. He guessed that that was another one of the things he'd done for the boy that he'd forgotten about—dropping that suggestion into the man's ear the first day Naruto went into the Academy.

His step was a little lighter then, as he struck out for home, for at least he'd done that part right.

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Christmas shopping crowds were absolutely bonkers. Naruto would like that to be shouted from the highest rooftops, because not even throwing himself into battle against a hundred enemies was a bad as dodging all of those women with their bags and parcels and boxes. He couldn't count how many times he'd been hit as he'd made his way through the milling people, trotting from shop to shop, trying to find that perfect gift for Kakashi.

_Stupid baka_. Cursing himself didn't help any, it was his own fault he'd left it so long. Him and his crazy idea that it would be easy to shop for the guy he had a crush on.

_Really though, what did you get for the Elite Jounin that seemed to have everything he needed?_ Kakashi liked to read his books, and he had his Nin-dogs, but there was nothing there that could inspire a gift idea that Naruto could see, and time was rapidly running out. Looking up at the sky he could see how dark it was getting to the west, and he knew that the time was approaching when he'd have to get to Iruka's house for supper.

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" He cursed aloud, drawing more than a few angry glances as he dashed into the last bookstore on his list. Naruto was practically running as he scanned the titles on the shelves, despairing as he didn't find anything he thought Kakashi might want to read. He cast a glance in the direction of the restricted section, his face heating up red as he realized that he was actually considering using a henge to get in there and find something for the older man. "Nuh uhn…No way…

There was no way he could ever do that…not even for Kakashi.

Giving up with a painful groan, Naruto trudged from the shop, not even apologizing to the people he banged into on the way by. He knew he had one thing left to do for sure, to pick up some flowers for Iruka's table before he went for supper. It was kind of their Christmas tradition…the brown-haired teacher cooked the food, and he brought the arrangement for the centre of the table. Ino would even have it done by now, and as his feet made their way over familiar streets, he sighed at the knowledge that he wouldn't even have a card to give to the man he was falling in love with when they got together tomorrow.

"Hey, Ino!" He called out as the chime rang over the front door. The flower shop was fairly packed, and he caught sight of the blonde Kunoichi over the heads of the other customers. She was helping a rather harried looking man pick out some roses, and putting up with the equally red-faced man's complaining that there weren't any red ones left very well, Naruto thought. Stepping over to the counter, he could see his arrangement of pine boughs and roses, lilies and gardenias neatly labeled with his name on it. A smile did bloom then, for the gardenias were Iruka's favourite, and every year Ino made sure to tell him just how hard she had to work to get them for him.

"Thanks, Ino." He breathed, wandering about now that he knew it was ready. In his pouch he had a storage scroll with Iruka's present in it. It wasn't a lot, the man always insisted that he not spend too much on him. Naruto had gotten him a new porcelain spoons for his kitchen to replace the plastic ones his teacher had had for as long as he'd known him. He was sure that he'd like them, and a grin lit up his face in anticipation of giving them to him.

A new variety of fern caught his eye then, and he meandered over. This section of the shop, where the live plants were, was quieter, and only two other shoppers were browsing the selection here. Naruto had quite a few plants. Mr. Ukki, the plant he'd given Kakashi years ago had come from here…in fact, he'd rescued it from the refuse pile…a poor little scraggling of leaves that he'd nursed back to health.

Curiosity got the better of him then, and he went round behind the counter to where he knew the Yamanakas kept the plants destined to be thrown into the compost heap out back. _Hmmm…_ The usual assortment of mite-webbed miniature roses and white-dusted, powdery mildew-infested ivies. A bunch of potted shriveled up green leaves crowned by dried-up flowers on spindly stalks told him the primroses hadn't taken well to the heat indoors just like they usually didn't. Naruto gave a little smile to see them. _Much better to buy those in the spring when you could plant them directly outside._

Plants and gardening were one of the few things he did that he could ever call a hobby. Knowing what was edible and what wasn't had been pretty important when he'd been gone those years with Jiraiya. What the man had expected to live on after he'd spent all of his money **and** Naruto's on sake and women, he'd never know.

A spread of five, toothed leaves drew an interested blue eye, and Naruto walked a little further, finding a lovely, healthy rose bush sitting on the end, the ends of the well-branched plant fatly budded with blooms just bursting to open. When he heard Ino hail him, he barely turned around for he'd spotted an open one and knew at once why this had been tossed here, and all of a sudden an idea took hold, and when the young woman reached him he had his best beseeching expression filling up his blue eyes.

"Pllleeeease?" He begged, holding out the rose before him, ready to go down on his knees if it would help. "_**Please**_ sell this to me."

"Naruto?" Ino's eyes travelled from the red-tagged rosebush to the huge puppy-dog-sized pleading blue ones of her classmate. "You want _that?_" She knew that he sometimes rescued things from the reject pile, and that her parents didn't care, but that particular plant had a very curious blooming habit…one that made it impossible to sell. "But that one…"

"I don't care!" Naruto interrupted, his voice full of desperation. "I want it! I want it! I want it! Pleeease?!"

"All right, all right." Waving her hands at him in concession, she sighed in relief as she successfully got him to shut up. Ino wondered why he was so eager to have that plant, for the gossip she'd been exchanging with Sakura had them both suspecting that Naruto was seeing someone, but neither of them had been able to figure out who it was. _Not that she'd seen Sakura much…_ She thought darkly, as she led the now-quiet, very happy teen, around to the counter to wrap his flower arrangement for him. _Now that so much of her time was being taken up by Lee…stupid Lee! She'd have never given __**that**__ relationship a chance in Hell, but apparently there was something there that Forehead really liked._

"Nani?" She asked, snapped out of her thoughts by Naruto's question. "Oh, yeah, it will be okay in a storage scroll for a couple of hours. Just don't forget it's in there—it needs oxygen, too."

A frown creased her face as she watched the other young Shinobi walk out of the shop. There was definitely a spring in Naruto's step now, and no mistaking the triumph in the grin that he'd given her just before the door closed. _Kami…if only she knew what it all meant._

'_I'm gonna have to talk to Sakura.'_

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The pots on the stove were steaming nicely. The rice had been cooked and rested in a warmer on the counter, and Kakashi had the last of the dumplings draining in the sink. He was just finished, and everything was perfect, if only Naruto kept to their agreed-upon time, he could serve the dinner he'd worked so hard on right at its peak moment. And, _by Kami_, the teen better have compliments ready for it. Cooking wasn't one of the Jounin's talents, but he had put himself out to make this first Christmas dinner with the younger man a very special one—the start of many more Christmas dinners they would share together—he was hoping.

Taking off the apron he'd been wearing to protect his clothes, he checked himself out in the mirror one more time. Smoothing down the finely knit gray-blue sweater, he plucked at a bit of fuzz before straightening the cuffs of the lighter gray shirt he wore underneath. Kakashi thought he looked good, the salesgirl in the shop had certainly had stars in her eyes when he'd emerged from the fitting room with it on, and the navy trousers she'd suggested did finish it off nicely…casual, yet dressy. Serious, and yet not too serious, for he didn't want this dinner to be formal, just intimate. He was dead set on having Naruto, and on letting the teen know just how serious he was about him, and he was planning on starting that today.

With one last run of his fingers through his hair, Kakashi turned to give his apartment one more going over as well. Storage scrolls had produced a slightly battered black couch and a coffee table smushed into the space at the foot of his bed. A trip to Yamanaka's had won him a little potted spruce that he'd garlanded with strung cranberries, dried anise seedpods, and a silver-painted shuriken that graced the top as a star. He didn't really have any decorations for the season, never having had any need for them, so, he hoped that Naruto wouldn't be disappointed by the meagerness of them.

A slight sound at his front door made his heart leap crazily in his chest, and he swallowed a laugh to feel himself so excited by the prospect that it might be Naruto. Letting loose a bit of his chakra, he smiled to discover that it was, in fact, his dinner guest lingering at his front door. Kakashi let him fuss a bit then, imagining that the teen was working up the nerve to knock, and when he thought he might have estimated it just right, he glided soundlessly to the door and opened it just as Naruto's knuckles were about to make contact.

"Naruto." He smiled under his mask, reaching out with pale, ungloved fingers to beckon the teen inside. "You're right on time."

"Yeah…" Naruto found the courage to speak, and to draw his eyes away from the incredible sight of his sensei dressed in those totally hot clothes. _Kakashi looks so good._ He thought, moving to step into the entryway and almost going sprawling as his toe caught on the step.

Kakashi reached for the younger man as he tripped, his hands catching him and drawing him into his body to hold him up as he faltered. There was a lovely moment then, where he looked down into those guileless blue eyes and cold-flushed cheeks and felt that need to kiss pink lips until they were both satisfied. And, perhaps Naruto was feeling the same for his eyes went to Kakashi's own mouth where it was shrouded by the mask, and he watched the younger man watching his lips move as he spoke. "Maa…" He said, diffusing the moment. "One of us has to be on time, I guess."

Putting his guest back on his feet, he held out his hand for Naruto's heavy winter coat, the sight of the clothing the blond had on underneath making him rock back on his heels in appreciation of the view. The v-necked sweater was the blue-green of the ocean, and under it Naruto was wearing a black turtleneck that matched his black dress pants. _Sakura_. The thought came to Kakahi's head, and he made himself a promise to thank the girl for her fashion sense the next time he saw her. No one had ever looked as good as Naruto did right now…the black setting off the golden tone of his skin and the unruly blond hair to perfection..._He was beautiful._

_Beautiful…_

The sound of Naruto awkwardly clearing his throat brought Kakashi back from his decidedly desirous thoughts, and looking down he caught the flush that had risen in those golden cheeks. "Ano, Kakashi…" The teen's voice hitched, and Kakashi heard the unsaid 'sensei' that floated about in the air after his name, and he gave Naruto an encouraging nod to let him know that it was all right if he didn't use the honorific.

"Do I look okay? You were staring." The innocent worry on that open face made Kakashi's heart clench in a very different way, and he blessed whatever Kami were watching over him the day they'd decided to make the two of them fall in love. _What a gift he is._ He mused, catching at a cold hand and tugging Naruto further into his apartment so he could shut the door against the winter chill coming in behind him.

"I was staring because you look more than okay, Naruto." He loved the blush he got for that, and turned to hang the coat up and retrieve the house slippers he'd bought just for the teen. The pleased sound that came from the other as the orange slide-ons arrived at his feet made Kakashi smile again, and he went round the teen to fuss at the fridge, covering up the happiness that was tickling around inside of him now that they were together, with action. "You look very handsome." A glass of sweet cider was in each of his hands, and he offered one to Naruto as the teen came towards him, a ribbon-tied storage scroll clutched tightly in his hand.

Nodding to the small tree, he followed the teen towards the couch as he went to drop his parcel beside the small, gaily wrapped box that already sat beneath the resinous-scented conifer. Dropping onto the fabric-covered surface of the couch, he sipped at the cold, spiced apple juice, liking the natural sweetness of it over something with added sugar. "It's apple cider." He told the Naruto as the teen sniffed at the glass. "Nothing alcoholic. You should try it, it's quite nice." It was amusing to watch those blue eyes narrow in on the drink, a look of intense concentration on the younger man's face as he took that first tiny sip. When his face cleared and a look of enjoyment put a smile on his face, Kakashi relaxed more, and patted the seat on the couch beside him. "Sit, Naruto. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, as soon as the duck is done."

Again the hesitation, as Naruto eyed the three-seater couch, clearly challenged by the close proximity to the man now that they were alone in his apartment together. Kakashi could almost see the effort it took him to gather his courage and sit beside him…it was as if Naruto expected him to leap upon him the moment his butt hit the cushion…and he wondered where the determined teen had gone…the one that had chased him all over the training fields for the last few weeks, looking to pin him to the ground. _What had happened since he'd last seen him, to make him so antsy?_ He wondered, looking at Naruto as he curled into the couch, well down at the other end.

_Aaa…_Yesterday's chance meeting with Iruka came back to him, and Kakashi hid a frown under his mask as he considered all of the things the overprotective man might have told Naruto.

"Ne, Naruto, you were at Iruka's last night, how did that go? Did you have a good time?"

_Did the man mention that he knows we have an interest in each other? Did he try to put you off me with dire warnings about my character, or lack thereof?_ A myriad of questions ran through Kakashi's mind as he watched expressions come and go on Naruto's changeable face.

"It…it was weird." Naruto scrunched up his face as he answered, his teacher's odd and embarrassing behavior of last night coming back to him. "I mean, I had a good time." His face brightened, and he gave Kakashi a beaming smile as he plucked at the black turtleneck he was wearing under his sweater. "He gave me this!" _Amongst other things…_ "And the food was good but, he…" A sigh escaped him, and he wanted to tell the other man all of the strange things Iruka had said to him. "It was like he was trying to tell me something but he didn't want to come right out and say it to me, you know?"

Kakashi chuckled softly. _Yes, he could well imagine all of the things that Umino wanted to say to you. _He thought, sipping from his glass to hide his amusement. "I take it that he knows you like someone then?" The question came out delicately, and he arched that one silver brow as he hoped that Naruto would understand the question that he was actually asking underneath.

"Um, yeah… just that I like _someone._" Naruto scratched his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He wasn't wearing his _hitai-ate_ so his bangs were falling in his face more than they usually did. He flicked them out of the way as he met Kakashi's intense grey eye. "I haven't told him it's you, yet…" His voice was soft, almost apologetic, and he looked away, finding his gaze resting on the little box that had his name on it under the tree.

"Why not?" Kakashi asked softly, feeling a bit as if he were a forbidden topic not to be spoken about in polite society.

"I…" A flash of white teeth as the teen opposite him chewed for a moment at his bottom lip, before those blue eyes flickered up to look at him, and the Jounin was relieved to see an almost conspiratorial twinkle in the sky blue. "I just haven't wanted to share this with anyone, yet."

The Jounin heard that unsaid message in Naruto's words, that he didn't want to share this closeness they'd discovered with anyone else, and a warm feeling rose up inside of him that had him shifting a little closer to the teen on the couch. "I feel the same way, just so you know. Like I've found something…_special_…enough that I want to keep it to myself for a while."

The sun could have risen on the smile that got him, and Kakashi's heartbeat quickened in his chest as the warmth and affection in those blue eyes grew as they looked at him. He'd never seen anyone quite so beautiful as Naruto was when he did that—when he smiled with all of his being and shared his happiness with everyone that was around him. Without thinking he shifted closer again, sliding along the black fabric towards the younger man to reach out with his free hand to cradle a scarred, soft cheek. "You've been very special to me for a long time, Naruto." He murmured, leaning in to press his masked lips against the hair falling over the teen's brow. "But these last few weeks, you've come to mean even more to me than I ever thought you could."

A small sigh slid from his lips as Naruto let himself fall against the familiar strength of Kakashi's body. It had been three days since their last training session and he'd found that he missed being this close to the other man, so it felt good to him to have this time cuddled against him when they weren't trying to hurt one another. "Kakashi…?" It still seemed so strange to not be saying 'sensei' after that name, but Naruto tipped his head up to look at the man anyways. "You do, um…_like_ me then…don't you?"

The uncertainty in that slightly raspy voice touched something in his heart that almost brought a tear to his eye. There was so much going on inside of that head, so much more than he'd ever know about. He gazed down at the younger man and let him see the true emotions inside of him, sharing with his eye even as he stroked a thumb over the whisker-like scars on that golden cheek. Naruto's lips parted, and he breathed out gently as Kakashi was watching, and that overwhelming temptation to kiss him surged through him once more. "Aa, Naruto…" He sighed, brushing back that thick sunshine hair and placing the kiss there, instead. _What exactly had Iruka Umino said to him to have such an effect on his confidence? _"I think it might be a little more than 'like', Naruto."

The sense of relief that rose in Naruto filled his stomach like someone had blown a balloon up inside of him, the lightness filling him in a way that made him grin. He rested his nose in the hollow of the other man's throat, the warmth of that lean form soothing away some of the fears that he'd brought with him from Iruka's last night. _Are you sure he's not just using you? Are you sure his feelings are real? Are you sure you really love him?_ _Are you? Are you? _Doubts had swirled through him all night long, awakening old insecurities that he'd long since put away. But, Kakashi wasn't leaving him any room for those doubts. This was one of the very few times that Naruto had ever seen him come right out and admit to _anything_, and he'd done it with such obvious intention that there was no way he could ever mistake those words for anything other than what they were.

"Kakashi, I…"

The annoying buzzing sound of an oven timer interrupted what he was going to say, and he looked up into that single grey eye wanting to insist that the silver-haired man sit there and listen to him until he was done, but the man laid one long, slim finger against his lips and bid him _shush_ and a thrill of such heat went through Naruto at that action that he'd couldn't do anything more than watch as Kakashi got up and walked over to tend to his—_what was it? Duck? _From his perch on the couch he watched as Kakashi moved efficiently around the small kitchen area, his eyes roving over the Jounin's tall, toned form. Like before, the civilian trousers the man was wearing emphasized the curves of his butt, drawing Naruto's eyes there as surely as if the grey-haired Jounin was wearing a sign that said 'LOOK HERE' and he felt a teasing warmth blooming in his lower belly as he wondered what the man would look like without those tight-fighting pants. Images from the book that had also been a part of Iruka's gift last night immediately appeared in his mind's eye. The embarrassingly sexual pictures exploding with movement and imagined sound as Naruto's over-active imagination put him and Kakashi into those pictures and made **him** make _those_ sounds.

'_Discovering your Homosexuality: A Gay Teenager's Handbook'_ was full of information and pictures of a certain, perverted, kind, and he'd read it as soon as he'd gotten home from his teacher's, finally learning all about how men made love to each other, and what those foil-wrapped round things and vials of oil were really for. Heated tendrils moved out of his stomach and into his limbs as he sat curled on the couch, and he closed his fingers around his glass so he could take another sip of the cold, sweet juice and try to control the way he was reacting to his thoughts. It would be too awful to stand up right now—Kakashi would know exactly what he was thinking about from the state that his excited body was in.

Almost as if the silver-haired Jounin knew what he was thinking about, the man straightened, and his eye met Naruto's, a smile that spoke of nothing but happiness moving the black mask that the man wore. That smile, and the free emotion that it gave to Naruto, calmed some of the fire that was raging in his blood as it called forth the happiness inside of him as well. _Being with Kakashi—with anyone, really—was about more than sex. _He realized with a start, sitting up from where he'd been slouching on the couch. _That was what Kakashi had been trying to teach him by making them go so slowly. By making them get to know each other first. _

_Being in love was about respect, and sharing. _ And Naruto realized that because he knew that…that all of Iruka's questions from last night had just been answered, and he had nothing to worry about anymore. So, when he was called to the nicely set table, he felt free again to touch Kakashi just as he had before.

The dinner that Kakashi had taken so much time to prepare went over splendidly. Naruto couldn't say enough about the food, and had even gone so far as to declare the ramen he'd made for him, his second favourite after Teuchi-san's. That alone had been a compliment good enough to make him blush, and he covered his reaction to it by flicking an errant pea at the blond to tease a laugh out of him. After they were done, Naruto had insisted upon helping him with the dishes, and Kakashi had been impressed by the deft way the teen had washed until he'd remembered that they'd both practically raised themselves so they'd each had to learn how to do this on their own.

Partway through the washing up, Naruto's hip connected with his, and the younger man gave him a flirtatious smile as he shoved him a step to the side. Kakashi returned the grin **and** the shove, and they played with each other until the last dried dish had been put away, and Naruto excused himself to use the bathroom. While the teen was out of the room, he used the time to rearrange certain of the furniture, and when Naruto emerged from the other room, he grinned at the look of wondering surprise at what he saw.

The couch and the coffee table had been returned to the storage scrolls and a plain, green-glazed hibachi was glowing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by mounds of very comfortable-looking pillows. Kakashi gazed up at him from where he was sitting cross-legged, the small, gift-wrapped box waiting in his hand.

"Oh! No!" Naruto squeaked, darting across the room to pick up the scroll he'd brought for Kakashi. Dropping down to kneel onto a soft cushion beside the man, he held out the beribboned gift, smiling with anticipation as pale, slim fingers reached out and plucked it from him. "Open mine first!"

Sudden doubts assailed him as those elegant fingers undid the bow he'd so carefully tied and placed the scroll on the floor so it could be unrolled. The jitters Naruto was feeling now kept him from watching as Kakashi made the simple handsign to release the present hiding within the scroll, but the bark of delighted laughter that rang out after it was revealed made those nervous blue eyes jump up to gaze at the other man with trepidation.

"Maa, Naruto." Kakashi drawled, looking with delight at the rosebush that had sprung out of the storage scroll upon its release. Shining blue/green leaves radiated health and stood out in lovely contrast against the pretty black ceramic pot it had been planted in, a delicate rendering of shuriken on it echoing the pattern on his comforter almost exactly. The plant was beautiful, well-shaped and covered in flowers, but, what caught his eye immediately were the pristine white blooms dotting the plant like oddly shaped stars for they shone brightly in the low-light of the room. "Where…?" He started to ask, bemused, and very touched to be thought of in this way. "Where did you find this?"

Some anomaly in the plant had caused to blooms to open unevenly, and Kakashi could see how this rose would make the teen think of him. Each of the roses had failed to open completely, the sepals on one side of the bud holding in the petals so that they cascaded outwards in a three-quarter display that looked exactly like his hair. The laugh had come out of him when he'd first seen the plant returned, and he chuckled a little harder as he looked from the rosebush to the worried face of the younger man.

"Aa, don't worry so." He chided, reaching out to slide a thumb against Naruto's bottom lip, freeing it from the teeth that were chewing nervously into it. "How could I not be honoured that you are comparing me to a rose?"

There was no doubting the genuine nature of the look in Kakashi's grey eye and relief made Naruto's stomach relax from its tight clenching. "I knew you'd like it!" He crowed, sitting back on his heels and letting out the breath he'd been holding in a great gust of air. "I really didn't know what to get you and I was in Yamanaka's and…well…" Giving an inelegant shrug, he spread his hands wide in silent explanation. "It just reminded me so much of you."

Kakashi's hand was still lightly curled around Naruto's jaw, so he drew his fingers up to gently trace the pattern of the scars on the younger man's cheek. He was truly moved by the teen's thoughtfulness—how he'd seen him in the rose and wanted to share it with him. "I'll take as good of care of it as I have Mr. Ukki, ne? But, you'll have to come over _a lot_ and show me how it's done."

The Jounin didn't miss the way the blond leaned into his gentle caress, nor the way those cerulean eyes closed in appreciation for it. "I've done a good job with him—haven't I?"

The heat from Kakashi's softly murmured question stroked over Naruto's skin much like his fingers were doing, sending sparks dancing through his system. Startled by how close the silver-haired man had gotten without him noticing, Naruto's eyes flew open and he gulped as he realized that Kakashi was only inches away from him now. Immediately he looked towards where the man's mouth was hidden by the fabric of his mask, a groan almost getting away from him as he watched an oddly obscene, and yet totally hot, movement happen there.

_He must have just licked his lips!_ Naruto thought, his gaze riveted and eager now in case it should happen again.

Holding back a groan was near-impossible as Kakashi watched those sky eyes fixate on him. From the moment they'd opened and Naruto began to stare at his mask arousal had flared through him like a flashfire, only getting worse when he'd had to lick his suddenly dry lips and the teen had homed in on them with a very obvious and avid interest.

Catching himself before he got any closer to that alluring temptation, Kakashi picked up his own gift and brought it up between them, feeling some of the heat ease as he watched Naruto's eyes nearly cross in an effort to focus on it. "Time for my gift, ne?" He said softly, letting go of the brightly wrapped package.

"Okay." Naruto husked, his normally raspy voice gone a little deeper with all that he was feeling. Taking the gift from that slim, calloused hand, he tore into it, lacking the self-control to take his time and open it in a more mannerly fashion. He was too eager to see what Kakashi had gotten him, and when the first corner of the box came into view, he knew what it was instantly.

"Ohhh…" His mouth dropped open and he lifted awed, innocent eyes to the man sitting so closely to him. "I…I can't take this… not _this_…not when it means so much to you."

"Yes, you can." Kakashi replied, plucking the box from unresisting fingers and opening it. Deftly he pulled the necklace from inside and draped it around the teen's neck, taking a deep scenting of those sunny locks as he did so. Naruto smelled delicious, the sharpness of clean skin and shampoo and that darker, earthy scent of warm fur that must be the Kyuubi was attractive to him, teasing his very sensitive nose. "This was a gift from someone I loved and admired. And, I wanted to give it to someone that I…_loved_…and admired, too."

Again, the man had surprised Naruto, and he lifted his eyes from where he'd been contemplating the shining blue stone to catch that singular grey gaze upon him.

_Loved?_

"But…but…your sensei's wife…" Naruto didn't know what else to say for the use of that word had scrambled his brain.

"No 'buts', Naruto." Kakashi stopped his protestations with that single finger again, his heart hitching a beat as he saw the dampness appear in the thick bottom lashes of those beautiful eyes. "And no tears, either, ne?"

Drawn by need, and by a desire that he no longer wanted to suppress, he found himself leaning in those few inches and then their noses touched, the pert tip of Naruto's sliding against the end of his where it was covered by his mask. He knew that this time, this was it, and as he slipped his hand around to the nape of the teen's neck he whispered to him. "Naruto…close your eyes."

Trust. Trust and want and an urgency he'd never known before had Naruto shutting his eyelids almost before the words were fully out of Kakashi's mouth. _This is it._ He told himself, that crawling, tickling heat slipping through his nerves to tingle in him everywhere. Tilting his head upwards, he slightly pursed his lips, offering them for the other man to touch. _This time he's really going to kiss me._

The slide of warm flesh over his mouth made Naruto's stomach quiver, a tremble passing through him that started with his lips and went straight out to all of his fingers and toes. _Kakashi was kissing him. __**Kissing**_ him. Surging towards the promise of the Jounin's lips he wrapped his hands around the man's strong, slim wrists and pulled himself closer, nearly perching himself in his lap as he tried to move his lips around just like the silver-haired man was doing, but he gave a frustrated snort as it just grew messy then, their mouths not meeting right at all.

"Mah, Naruto." Giving a desperately amused sigh, he shook himself free of the teen's hands, placing them on his waist instead and letting those tanned fingers curl into his sweater to hold on there. "Let me do this, ne?" He let his eye rove over the guileless beauty of that face. Of the up-turned nose and the golden crescents of the lashes. He dwelt on those reddened lips and the slight, dark part as Naruto breathed. It was, without question, one of the most arousing sights he'd ever seen, and one that had captured him before this. "Just follow my lead, yeah? I know you're very good at learning by example."

He cupped that alluring face with his hands, long fingers sliding back around the curves of Naruto's ears and resting under the angle of his jaw. "Move with me, Naru…" Kakashi whispered, lowering his mouth to kiss him once more. Starting off gently, he stroked his lips over those eager ones, tilting his head to the right direction as he guided the younger man's in the same way. Small kisses, like soft pecks, over that mouth, from each delicious corner to the soft firmness at the centre where the first of those moans broke free from inside of Naruto and were breathed against him. That shivering, sensual sound brought an answering gasp from Kakashi, and he applied himself again, taking those lips in longer, slower, deeper kisses, that had the hands at his waist digging almost uncomfortably hard into his body. "_Naru_…" He groaned the endearment, the taste of the teen's mouth as good as he'd been imagining it might be. Taking a deep breath, he looked once more in wonder at what he held in his hands, at the swollen, pouting mouth offered so eagerly to him. Blood surged in Kakashi's groin, stirring that part of him to life that was currently pressed under the teen's thigh and he felt the torture of Naruto shifting over him as he pressed forward for more kisses.

A smirk carved Kakashi's lips with mischievery as he regarded that sensual sight, and he dipped his head down to capture that swollen bottom lip with his teeth, delivering a slight nip to it that had Naruto whining as he pulled his mouth away. Before the teen could open his eyes or even say anything, the Jounin slid one hand to the nape of his neck, curling his fingers under those silken strands and he jerked him closer to plunder his mouth, sliding his tongue in to find Naruto's for the very first time.

_Kisses were freaking awesome._ Naruto decided. Even when he couldn't see when they were coming, the way Kakashi's lips felt against his was like a whole bunch of lightning jutsus had been let go in his blood. All of the fine hairs on his body were standing up, the slightest brush of air over them making his goosebumps rise, sending heat right down to the ache that was whirling around and around in his belly. Small kisses, long kisses, he'd decided that he liked them all, and he followed the lead of his crush as he showed him how it was done. Something like melted chocolate was sliding through his veins, trickling and warming, working with the sparks to drive him insane, and when Kakashi finally drew away long enough for him to breathe, he let out a moan, wanting that mouth to come back and kiss him some more.

The sharp sting of teeth grabbing that sensitive flesh, brought out a whimper of surprise, and he almost opened his eyes then, catching himself as he remembered that he'd promised himself he'd keep them closed until Kakashi said he could open them. He was going to say something, but the other man was on him so quickly, a hand at his neck dragging him in, and then he felt the hot, wet slide of Kakashi's tongue into his mouth for the very first time.

It was…_weird_, really, having someone else's tongue in his mouth. Odd… having to make room for it, and he didn't know what to do with his own, but the Jounin bent his head back a little, and swirled his tongue over Naruto's coaxing it up to meet his, and suddenly he knew exactly what it was that made people want to kiss this way. More heat, and more of those glorious shivers went through him as they kissed this way, dancing and sparring with each other as Naruto got more and more into the rhythm of it, and when Kakashi's tongue chased his back, he opened more fully to it, trembling as the man completely took him over.

The predatory tremble that went through Kakashi's body as Naruto became so pliable in his arms was so strong that he felt as if he should be marking his claim. Perhaps it was the close ties he had with his dog summons, but, the need to howl was rising into his throat and for a man who was normally so reticent it was a discovery of mind-altering proportions to realize just how invested he was in the compact, arousing form in his embrace. A kiss—a simple kiss—or, rather, a **lot** of kisses and he was already tying himself to this young man with all of his heart, just as he had when he'd vowed to always be by his side.

"_Naruto."_ He whispered as they panted for breath, and he gazed, stricken to his beating heart by the sight of the teen in his arms. It was worse than the love he'd felt for Rin as a boy. Deeper and bigger, so unlike the bright, sharp, blazing way he'd loved the girl that had died…this felt as if it could fill him up and surround him, warm him forever and drive out all the things that had once made him so cold inside…and he had no one to blame for this love but himself.

He was the adult. He had all of the experience and knew the risks that he took by giving his heart to anyone, let alone a boy he'd known since infancy. Kakashi knew he could have resisted. Turned Naruto's affections away, or to another, but… But with this beautiful, strong body so eagerly arching in his arms, he knew that he couldn't have done this any other way. Giving in was the only thing he'd ever be able to do when it came to loving this one, special person, and nothing could ever change that now.

Accepting his fate—glorying in it, in fact—he dove back in, bending Naruto up to his body, melding them together as he drew the younger man into the circle of his arms, and kissed him once more. _No one. __**No one**__…would ever hurt this precious person again. Not so long as Kakashi could draw air to breathe._

**Well guys, I want to say sorry it took us so long to write this chapter. School for me was crazy and I had to get back into it, but I also want to say thank for all the great reviews! That means a lot to both of us and I can't tell you how happy both of us are when we see new reviews. There was going to be so much more to this chapter but it has been way to long without a update so we cut it in half.**

**I hope everybody is having a good start to the year of 2013 and I hope everybody has a good **

**Valentine's Day! I want to thank you all for sticking to this story and also my co-writer.**

**It's good to be back- Deathwish91296**

**So, there was meant to be more to this chapter, but it was growing so long that we decided to separate it into two. That means there'll be another following along more quickly than this one to finish up this holiday arc. **

**Deathwish and I are sorry for the long wait for this one. We had a busy Christmas with work and school, and obviously wanted to have this to you before then, so we could all celebrate Christmas with the boys in a timely fashion. - KitElizaKing**

**Don't forget to review. Your kind reviews keep our ambitions alive, and feed our muse, and we appreciate all of them more than we can say.**


	14. Chapter 14

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 14**

_**Hatsuhinode**_

"_if I dive too deep_

_You'll pull me out_

_If I try to speak you'll _

_Hear me out_

_If I get to weak you'll_

_Hold me close_

_And tell me I am fine"_

_-Dive too Deep by RJA_

_Neji's feet slipped again on the stone wall, as gravity did what it always does and drew him back down to earth. The chains around his now-bruised wrists stop his fall again, but he feels the trickle of blood as they abrade his chafed skin even more. Neji has been trying to pull the chains off the wall for some time, at first when Neji made up his mind about leaving this place, he applied chakra to his wrists to allow him to break free from them, but of course nothing was that easy, not even for a Jounin with his skills._

_The chains that held the ANBU were chakra-absorbent, everytime he attempted to force chakra into them to break free, the chains sucked up his chakra—chakra he couldn't spare- for Neji didn't have all of his strength back yet. Lowering his head in temporary defeat, Neji knew he wasn't going anywhere like this and would have to make a new plan. As he hung there he thought about his fight with Itachi, for he didn't remember any time in recorded Clan history when a Byakugan user went up against a Sharingan user. Neji knew the reason he was so bad off was because of that fight and that made him think... 'Is Itachi like this as well?' _

_Neji looked up at the moonlit sky, lost in thought. The whole time he'd been here he had been fighting the dark thoughts of death…he didn't want to die…but as a Shinobi he'd confronted that possibility often enough, and he wasn't sure why he was having a problem with these thoughts now. In the past, the thought of dying had never been a serious issue for him. The thought of never being able to see the people he cared so much about, or the village he'd sworn to protect, ever again, hit him hard in the heart. 'I can't let this stop me.' Neji grabbed the bar above his hands that was holding both lines of chain to his wrists, he pulled up a bit so he could place both of his feet on the wall behind him. Using the wall he pushed forward trying to break his wrists free from the chains. 'I won't let this stop me!' He thought and pushed harder "AHHH!" He screamed pulling himself from the chains with the thoughts of everything that was special to him burning in his mind, but soon his feet slipped and he fell once again, the chains jerking him painfully to a stop._

_Breathing hard, he looked down at his feet dangling so tantalizingly close to the ground… he felt like giving into tears, for everything he'd tried so far had failed… and for the first time he felt as if his will was weak. _

"_You're pretty strong willed you know that kid?" The old man's voice interrupted his sad thoughts and Neji turned to look at the man he knew now as Tzu. _

"_Hmm…" He grumped, not liking how the man had almost seemed to read his mind. "Well, I am not going to just hang here knowing that my village needs me!" Neji was upset… why anyone would just hang there and not try to get out!?_

_Tzu looked at the young teen and gave a small laugh "Look kid, you've got attitude. I like that about you."_

_Neji actually smiled at that… something he hadn't done in weeks. It felt good to smile again, to know that there someone he could call a friend even if it's at a time like this. _

"_Don't worry kid." Tzu said "I promise we will get out of here." _

_Neji shook his head dismissively. "What makes you say that? I've been trying for a few hours and have got nowhere…" Tzu looked directly into Neji's pale grey eyes and for the first time he felt that someone was looking into his soul. The older man was short and had already gray hair, and had a nice little gray goatee, and all of that wrinkled face exuded a gentle surety that gave him some courage._

"_I know we will get out because I've watched you these last few hours. You have a lot of heart, kid, and you're fighting for something-I don't know if it's a lover, or a pet-but whatever you're fighting for it's a part of you and you wouldn't let it down. Just like I am fighting to save my people and to stop this war from starting!" _

_Neji was taken aback by this outburst. Not just by the emotions behind the words Tzu spoke, but by a single word that was said. 'War…' "_

_What do you mean war?" He asked, wondering just how much there was to the reason for the Akatsukis' presence in this country. _

_Tzu was a bit shocked bit this naïve question and he looked down at his feet to gather his thoughts before speaking again. "Isn't that what you're here for? To get information for your village?" _

_Neji nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, bu-but, I thought it was because one of our men died and I was sent to spy on them." _

_Tzu shook his head quickly in denial. "This evil group has come to my village because they know it's a poor, sad place. They have become heroes to my people because they have helped us out in tough times, but what my people don't see is that they are only using us as a tool to make an army. I have found out that this group plans to go to many different places to recruit for an army and to start a war. Inforation I have received indicates their next destination is the Land of Waves." _

_In that moment Neji put most of the pieces together for the reason for the Sannin's death. Jiraiya had been sent to get intel because he knew a war would be starting. A war sponsored by this sinister Akatsuki group. Neji looked gathered his thoughts again before he looked back at his new friend "Tzu… if you're right about us breaking out… I swear I will try to help you save your people." _

_Tzu looked back at this teen and nodded as he saw the determination in that pale, concerned face. "Thank you Neji. I do believe that I can trust you."_

_knknkn_

Naruto?"

The sound of his name from a very familiar voice drew Naruto from the alleyway. Straightening his hitai-ate he emerged back into the cool, sunny afternoon and gave his pink-haired teammate and the others a smile. "Oh. Hey, Sakura. What brings you around here?" He wanted to glance back into the dark shadows behind him to see if Kakashi was still there, but he didn't dare bring those all-seeing green eyes anywhere near the spot where he and the Jounin had been sharing a moment together. _And a few kisses. _He thought. Suddenly self-conscious of what he might look like, he took the opportunity to wipe at his lips with the back of his hand in case they were a little swollen from the hot kisses he'd just been enjoying and then he tilted an inquiring look at the three people before him. "Lee? Did you have a good Christmas?"

The dark-haired boy glanced sideways at Sakura with a coy look that Naruto couldn't figure out, and the girl blushed as she elbowed him for it. He was just about to ask what was going on when Sai, who was standing behind them, spoke up, and Naruto found himself joining Lee and Sakura in a blush. "I believe Lee was referring to the 'smooches' he and Sakura have been exchanging for days now." The light tenor of Sai's voice was unbelievably matter-of-fact, as if he were just relaying the weather for tomorrow instead of embarrassing his friends.

"Ssaiii!" The Kunoichi wailed her disapproval and turned to punch the slim teen in the shoulder, but he took a quick step away and evaded her, giving her a look of confusion.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" He asked, looking to Lee and Naruto to see what he'd done that was so bad.

"You don't mention such things in the presence of ladies." Lee corrected, reaching out for Sakura's upraised fist and uncurling it so he could clasp his fingers around her hand. "Especially ones as beautiful as the most fragrant flowers of spring."

Naruto was a little gagged by the effusiveness of the praise, but he noted how Sakura seemed to lap it up, her whole body leaning in towards their green-clad friend in a very eager way, and he gulped as he wondered if that's what he looked like when he was near Kakashi. From the angle of their heads it looked as if they were going to kiss, and he shuffled his feet awkwardly, sharing an uncomfortable glance with Sai.

"Heeey….Wait a minute!" At the last possible second before her lips met with Lee's, Sakura remembered what she'd just seen and turned to take a very critical look at her blond teammate. "Never mind what I'm doing around here, Naruto. What are **you** doing around here? This is all the way across town from your apartment."

He quailed under the fierce look in those green eyes, gulping and _hmmm'_ing as he tried to think of an acceptable excuse for being in this part of the village. 'Stalking Kakashi for kisses' was way more information than he was willing to part with right now, and 'making out in the alley' wasn't even going to pass his lips, so he stalled a bit before blurting out the only other answer that came to him. "I was getting stuff for New Year's Eve. Um, you know, 'cause I'm having someone over."

The sharpness in Sakura's eyes immediately increased, and her whole stance gentled, a clear warning sign to any who knew her that she was on the prowl for the rest of the information Naruto was holding back. "Oh? And who is this person? Do I know her?" The pink-haired girl's voice was deceptively soft, but Naruto knew her too well, and he knew what she was up to.

For a minute a smile of such complicity appeared on Naruto's face that it fairly took Sakura's breath away, and she felt Lee's fingers tighten on hers in amazement as he reacted to it, too. _Whoever she is, he really cares about her._ She thought, her medic's eye finally taking in the state of those slightly swollen lips.

"Nope!" Naruto's chirp interrupted her thoughts, and she narrowed her eyes at him demandingly. "And I'm not going to say just yet either!" A raspy chuckle escaped the blond teen, and he turned away from them. "See ya around, Sakura, Lee. Bye, Sai!" With a single, powerful, upward leap, Naruto took to the nearest rooftop and offered them all a wave before he ran off. Staring after him bemused and a little put out, she spoke her thoughts aloud to the others.

"Was it just me…or did he look like…"

"He'd just been kissed?" Lee's voice echoed her thoughts exactly, but it was what Sai said that made her head snap around in amazement to stare at the emotionally distant teen that could sometimes be so perceptive. The three words he'd offered making a lot of sense. _'…he's in love?'_

_Yeah…_Sakura thought, nodding her head in agreement. _Naruto looked very much like someone who was in love._

Naruto cackled as he picked up the basket he'd abandoned on the roof when he'd flung himself down onto the Jounin passing by beneath him. He'd taken up stalking the man after Christmas, for he'd found himself craving those kisses that Kakashi had introduced him to _all _of the time. Now he'd taken his pursuit of the man from the training fields and into the village proper, following him on rooftops and through back alleyways that he'd never really known existed. Trailing the silver-haired man had had him stopping to scratch at his head in astonishment as the man had gone down lanes and through places that he'd never seen before…it was only on the third day that he'd been following him, when he nearly ran smack dab into an ANBU also using the secluded pathways, that he'd put it all together and remembered his sensei's past as a member of that secretive organization, that he realized just where Kakashi's knowledge of those places had come from

Not that this information had stopped him in his endeavour to be kissed at least five times a day, and he _had_ gotten a lot better at ambushing the master of stealth that his sensei was known to be. Or, at least Naruto thought that he had.

_Heh, didn't matter anyway._ It wasn't like Kakashi didn't want to see him, either. After the man had so firmly and tenderly sent him on his way once they'd both sated themselves with kisses on Christmas night, he'd made it a point to seek him out the next day and take him for breakfast. And, he was the first one to tug Naruto into an alley for some time together, so the Jounin had nobody else to blame for the idea that had sprung full bloom into his head that day but himself.

It was during one of those 'dates' that the man had invited him on two days ago that Naruto had asked him to come to his home for New Year's Eve, and to stay long enough to celebrate the arrival of the sun with him. Having Kakashi with him for Omisoka, and share the first sunrise with him, had been an idea that had bloomed inside of Naruto, for he'd never had anyone to do that with before, and when Kakashi had hesitated when he asked him to stay the night, Naruto had rushed to assure him that he wasn't looking for _that_, and the blush that had heated his face then had made the other man smile. Once Kakashi had understood, he'd readily agreed, so pleased with the invitation and the emotion behind it that he thrown up a camouflage jutsu that had hidden them from prying eyes and he'd kissed Naruto until he couldn't breathe. Good memories. _Great memories._ And Naruto held them close to him as he finished his shopping for the osechi-ryori that was traditionally served on New Year's Eve.

Clutching his shopping basket to him, he was just about to jump back down to the street when he passed over the head of a sauntering duo he recognized immediately. "Hey Choji! Shikamaru! Happy New Year's!" Thumping to the ground in front of the other two, Naruto offered them a bright grin, glad to see the other two rookies so he could ask how their holidays had been going. It had been a while since he'd seen them last, what with his training and their going out on missions, but they were two guys he thought a lot of.

"Yo, Naruto." Shikamaru offered, his voice absolutely uninterested even as he was taking in the appearance of the normally loud blond, noting the excitement that sparkled in those blue eyes. "You look like you've had a good Christmas." The blush that pinked those golden cheeks didn't go unnoticed either, and the dark-haired young Jounin tilted his head as he began to file all of those little tidbits away.

"Yeah." Naruto replied, grinning shyly, his free hand coming up to scratch uncomfortably at the back of his head. "Really good."

"Did you get some good stuff?" Choji grumbled out his question as he pulled the last chip from the bag he was holding and then crumpled it up.

The grin on the blond's face gradually morphed into something sweeter and more intense, and that did not go unseen by Shikamaru's intent gaze, nor did the distractedly shuffling feet, and the teen could almost see the wheels turning behind those blue eyes as Naruto thought of what he should tell them. "I got a new Go board." He interjected, saving the blond from having to answer, and getting the flash of a grateful smile.

"You got that from Temari." Choji added, searching through the capacious pockets of his winter coat to pull another bag of snack food from it. "You should have seen his face when he was telling me about it, Naruto. **I've **never seen Shika blush before."

"Shut up, Choji." Naruto laughed as Shikamaru glowered up at the big teen. 

"Did you see her over the holidays, Shikamaru?" The blond leaned in closer to his friend, hoping that he had news of Gaara and the other friends he had in Sand.

"Yeah, she came by for a day. She said Gaara and Kankuro were doing great."

Nodding at the welcome information, Naruto gave them a grateful smile, glad to know that the former Jinchuuriki had recovered from his terrible ordeal. "Good. Good. I'll have to send him a letter…let him know I'm thinking about him."

"Whatever." Drawling, Shikamaru waved a hand indolently at the other teen, his interest turning to other things now that he'd actually made the effort to have a conversation. "Let's go, Choji. My mother's expecting us home for supper, and you know what she's like if we're late."

A shudder travelled through that big frame, and Choji crushed the now-empty bag in his hand into a little ball of foil before he placed it into his pocket. "Troublesome." He said, stealing his best friend's favourite word."

"Aaa." Shikamaru agreed as he gave Naruto another wave. "You've got that right. See you later, Naruto. Enjoy your New Year."

"You, too, guys. See you soon."

Just for a moment, Naruto watched his friends as they moved away, the slow, steady pace of the two reflective of their determination to never be in a hurry to go anywhere. A low chuckle escaped him, and then he returned his attention to what he'd been doing before he'd come across them, and he hitched up his basket and took off down the street, heading for his destination. Iruka had promised him he'd help him prepare the ozoni for tonight's dinner. Making soup wasn't much trouble, but Naruto had never made the kind with the mochi rice cakes before, so he'd asked his teacher for his help. No doubt it would involve more questions of a weird kind, but he felt more armored now to withstand them since he and Kakashi had kissed.

_A lot._

_Of kisses._

With that thought in mind, he was blushing as his ex-teacher opened his door, and the way those brown eyes narrowed so suspiciously at him made him gulp hastily. "Er, _hi_, Iruka-sensei. I'm here with the food."

"Naruto." A wealth of emotion went into that single name, and for the first time Iruka knew that he was facing that thing that all parents eventually face when confronted by the evidence that their kids were growing up. It was bad enough that all of the children he taught at the Academy grew up and left, going off to pursue their own lives, and more than likely dying as the Shinobi he'd trained them to be. But this young man was one that he had taken a special interest in, and, more than anyone, Naruto had come to be more like his own child than any of the rest. "Hmm…" He said, reaching out to grasp at the handle of the basket to draw him inside. "Just get in here, would you? And expect that you'll be talking while we're cooking."

When that door slammed shut behind him, Naruto was sure that he should have just turned and ran away, but by then…it was too late.

knknkn

Travelling by rooftops to get away from the milling, celebratory crowd, Kakashi headed for Naruto's apartment, a tendril of excitement already winding its way through his nerves as he thought ahead to the night he was going to share with his blond. He'd asked if he could bring anything, but the only things Naruto had wanted him to bring with him definitely couldn't be eaten. Tucked in a scroll in his pocket were the hibachi and pillows that he'd had out on Christmas Day. Apparently the teen had taken a real liking to being curled up on those with him, and wanted to do it again.

Not that Kakashi was protesting that request…oh, not at all. In fact, he'd included a low table so they could eat their dinner sitting down on those pillows, too. It seemed like a nice thing to do, and he was sure that Naruto wouldn't mind, seeing as how the last time he'd been in the teen's apartment, he'd only owned one chair.

Still though, when he knocked at the door and waited to be let in, he was surprised by the apronned and untidy young blond that let him. There was s single grain of rice on his nose, and Kakashi couldn't resist flicking it off with a finger after he pulled off his gloves. "Aa, Naruto." He teased. "You look very domestic."

"Hmph." Was his grunted response, and a clearly irritated hand waved him inside. "Come on in and make yourself comfortable, I'm busy." Naruto turned away from him before he even had a chance to answer him, and Kakashi swallowed a very dangerous chuckle as he saw the floury handprints on the younger man's bottom. _It was a little bit like target practice._ He thought, as he shed his winter coat and boots, resigning himself to going about in his socks since he'd forgotten his slippers. Just as he thought of that, a pair came flying his way, and he looked down in embarrassment at the black slippers with the little puppy faces on them that Naruto had clearly bought just for him. "Ne, Naruto, you don't expect me to wear these, do you?" That growl came his way again, so he just swallowed his pride and slid them on, glad for the added warmth between the soles of his feet and the cold wooden floors. It was cool in here, in spite of the steaming pots on the stove, and when he moved into the tiny kitchen area Kakashi actually welcomed the fragrant heat he found there.

"Smells good, Naru." Speaking softly, he came easily up on the back of the teen and leaned to press a masked kiss against the side of his neck, hoping that the grumpiness that had greeted him on his entrance wouldn't be extended to that brief intimate contact. As the other body went taut at his touch, he waited for the rumble, but almost immediately Naruto seemed to relax, and so Kakashi relaxed with him.

_This is Kakashi._ Naruto reminded himself, as the warmth of the Jounin's body came flush against the back of his own. _He knows you…he won't judge you for this. _His sensei had always seen how hard he tried to conquer things, and he knew that the silver-haired man wouldn't think any less of him for not having the supper ready when he got here. So, he cast a sideways glance at the man and gave him a rather sheepish smile, offering up an oven-mitted hand in supplication. "Ahh, you wouldn't mind giving me a hand, would you?"

The quick smile that curved Kakashi's mouth under his mask made Naruto grin in return, and he fished the masher out of the drawer nearby to offer it to the man. "The kurikinton needs to be mashed." The sweet potatoes and chestnuts were roasted and ready to be mushed together, and he was sure that Kakashi could handle that after the supper he'd served him. "I've got to turn the heat off the konbu."

Kakashi chuckled as he accepted the masher, switching hands as he pushed the sleeves of his sweater up, before he applied himself with all the skill and strength of the Elite Jounin he was known to be. Within seconds the contents of the pot had been beaten into utter submission and he served it all into a covered bowl to keep it warm. Disposing of the used cookware in the sink, he turned to his companion and offered up his empty hands. "What else, love?" He asked lightly, loving the slight blush that rose in those tanned cheeks at the endearment. A sudden whiff of fish that was just beginning to burn caught at his sensitive nose, and in one astonishingly fast move he stole the oven mitts from Naruto's hands and rescued the fishcakes from the oven before they could begin to seriously brown. "Umm…" He breathed, catching the faint hint of Suna spices. "Kamaboko…one of my favourites."

Sliding the cakes from the pan to a plain white serving tray he cleaned up the pan, and looked in vain for a resting place for the tray now that it was full. Settling it down on the small table that Naruto had set to eat at, he decided it was time to unroll the scroll he'd brought with him and set it up. Within minutes he was done, and he began to place the utensils and plates on that table instead, working behind Naruto's back as a way to surprise him when he finally noticed. He was just about done when the awestruck silence behind him notified Kakashi that his younger love had become of aware of what he'd been doing, so he had one second's warning before that strong, compact body flung itself at his back.

Staggering, grunting, he captured Naruto's knees as the teen's legs wrapped around his waist and two clutching arms encircled his shoulders. "Kakashi…that's wonderful!" A puff of hot breath teased at his ear, and he shivered as fingers rose to pull his mask down far enough to expose a cheek that was promptly, and affectionately kissed. "Well," he said, grinning slyly. "I thought it would be nice to eat like this instead."

With a single, powerful movement, he decanted Naruto from his shoulders and turned to capture him in his arms, looking down into those glowing blue eyes to see the pleasure and the happiness shining there. "You've gone all out, Naruto, to make this a proper Omisoka for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of the work that you're doing.

"Yeah, well…" The shy tint that rose in that golden skin charmed Kakashi and he leaned his head down wondering if the teen would like a kiss. The way those eyes snapped shut so quickly made his heartbeat quicken, and he made himself a vow then, that he wouldn't make Naruto have to close eyes his eyes for much longer. It wasn't fair to the younger man, and it certainly wasn't fair for him—he wanted to see the look in those cerulean irises after he'd been kissed, for so much of the teen's emotion was transmitted through those open apertures to the sky.

Gently sliding his hands down Naruto's arms, he curled his fingers around the teen's and clasped them lightly, bending down to brush his lips over Naruto's through his mask, just being a tease. The response he got surprised and thrilled him though, for suddenly white teeth had nipped at the fabric and pulled it down all without Naruto opening his eyes, though a triumphant chuckle did escape those sweet-looking lips.

"Very good, student." Kakashi echoed the chuckle, before taking that laughing mouth with his own for a slow and tender kiss. "I hope your supper can taste better than that." He murmured as they parted, and he squeezed those tanned fingers once and then let go. "That's going to be tough, though. You…are utterly _delicious."_

Kakashi decided then that he rather liked the blond's blushes, for he got another one for his remark, and a low and entirely ineffectual accusation that he was a pervert that he laughed an agreement to. His own personal affirmation of that title was in the way that he watched that round bum move away from him as Naruto went back to work on the supper, leering a little in case he should be caught staring. When he was ignored, he lapsed into a happy contemplation of that rear, agreeing with himself that it really was one of the best he'd ever seen…white handprints, and all.

"Ne, Naruto…" Giving himself a shake, Kakashi got back to the task at hand—_heh heh, 'hand'prints_—and stepped forward to take the next bowl from the teen, sniffing at the broiled burdock root served up inside, hearing his stomach rumble in response to the enticing smell of it. "In spite of declarations to the contrary, it seems I'm really quite hungry. Are we going to be eating soon?" The scents were teasing at his sensitive nose, and he just wanted to bury himself in the kamaboko, now that he'd had them in his hands. Setting the dish down on the low table, he turned back to help some more, but found himself confronted with a smiling Naruto as the teen let the discarded apron he'd been wearing fall over his kitchen chair.

"That's it! Let's eat!"

Knknkn

Naruto finished up the last of the dishes and turned to cast a glance at his guest, a smile teasing at his lips as he saw how comfortable Kakashi had made himself in his apartment. The man sat with his back propped against the foot of his bed, his long, lean legs stretched out in front of him in a way that had Naruto tracing the length of them with very appreciative eyes. He rarely ever got a chance to just look at the man when he wasn't in motion, or, when they weren't with someone else, and he let his gaze drift then, right down to puppy slippers on his narrow feet, and then back up to where the muscles of his thighs bunched against the fabric of his trousers. He swallowed hard, feeling the rise of heat in his blood before he looked away, gathering up the teapot and cups he'd prepared as he'd dried the last of the dishes.

"Tea?" He asked lightly, winding his way around the edge of the low table to settle beside the other man. A hint of pink touched his cheeks as he leaned against one of those thighs, setting a small cup in front of Kakashi as he offered out that teapot full of fragrant green tea.

The Jounin picked up the cup and held it out to him, taking the steaming cup and cradling it in his hands once Naruto had filled it. With a grateful sigh, he sniffed at the steam, and then walked sideways on his hips to make room for Naruto to settle on the cushions beside him. "Ahhh…" He sighed again, closing his eye as he took a moment to appreciate what he had. "That might have been the most memorable New Year's Eve dinner I've ever had, Naruto." Kakashi said softly, opening his eye to capture that attentive blue gaze with his own. "You're actually a really good cook…and it wasn't even ramen."

Huffing, the teen shuffled sideways, settling into the curve of the other man's side as Kakashi raised his arm to make room for him. "I cook more than ramen, you know." He protested, taking a huge sip of his tea and nearly choking as it burned the inside of his mouth. "_Thab's na faarr…"_ A slender finger tipped his face up, and a slim, calloused hand dropped over his eyes as he felt warm breath on his face just before lips touched his and a wet tongue swept around the inside of his mouth and soothed the burn away. Eagerly, Naruto followed him back as Kakashi sat up right, and he nearly crawled into his lap, wanting more of those kisses.

"Mah, love." Need swept into Kakashi as that firm, delicious body tried to settle blindly in his lap. He was trying to take this slowly, but the rush-ahead drive of his younger love had been testing that desire almost full time since they'd traded their first kiss. "You're going to spill my tea. And it's hot, you know."

That reminder brought back the reason for the kiss in the first place, and a pout replaced a purse on those sweet lips, making Kakashi want to groan. "You insulted my cooking."

"No, I didn't." He corrected gently, a smirk curving the line of his lips as he pulled his mask back up. "I insulted the lack of variety in your cooking…that's entirely different." Laying a finger on the tip of Naruto's nose, he encouraged those blue eyes to open and handed the teen back his cup. "Settle in and drink your tea and tell me about getting the food ready.

The younger man did as he asked, leaning into the curve of Kakashi's side in a way so natural that it was if Naruto had always been meant to be there, and he relaxed as he listened to the story of his companion's shopping trip, chuckling as he heard how Sakura had grilled the blond on what he was doing, and of his escape. He wasn't surprised though, to hear that Iruka Umino had helped with the cooking, but the silence Naruto fell into after confessing that did make him start to worry that the man might have said something again.

When the unusual silence drew out, Kakashi tightened the arm he had around those hunching shoulders and pulled the teen closer to him. "You know there's nothing you can't tell me…don't you?"

Blue eyes rose up to meet his, and he could see the mixture of guilt and reluctance that normally marked a confession that Naruto didn't want to make, but knew he couldn't avoid. "Go on…" He nudged.

"Ummm, well…I kinda think Iruka-sensei might have figured out that it's you."

Kakashi slanted a silver brow at that, easily sensing the quaver of anticipatory dread in that raspy voice.

"I don't know how he figured it out, but…the questions he was asking me all led right back to you."

_The Chunin mustn't have been very subtle if Naruto was able to figure it out._ The silver-haired man thought as he looked into that worried face, watching as that bottom lip was once more abused as Naruto waited for him to respond. "Kami, Naruto…don't worry." Guilt rose within him as he used his thumb to tug that sweet lip away from those gnawing teeth. "I was the one that gave up the game to him."

"Huh?!" Naruto leaned into Kakashi, the worry that he'd been the one to tip Iruka off to who he was seeing evaporating with those words. "You? How'd you do that?" He listened with growing anxiety as the man told him of the meeting he'd had with his teacher on Christmas Eve, and all of a sudden all of those pressing questions Iruka had asked him that night made perfect sense.

"You should have told me right away." His heart was troubled that Kakashi hadn't shared that meeting with him, for Iruka was important to him, and he'd have wanted to be ready for whatever happened when he found out. "He was really weird that night…at least I know why, _now._"

"Aa." Acknowledging his failure to share, Kakashi reached over and curled his hand around one of Naruto's squeezing it reassuringly. "I know that now, and I'm sorry. I'll be sure to be more honest with you."

For a moment Naruto sat and considered that, rolling up onto his knees as he thought about the offer. After a while he pinned his blue eyes on Kakashi and leaned in, and the Jounin knew that something important was going to come from that intent gaze, and he leaned towards Naruto in turn.

"Let's do that then!" He said suddenly, fixing his eyes on that single one watching him so attentively. "Promise each other that we won't lie…that we'll tell each other everything. No holding anything back. You'll tell me the truth…and I'll tell you the truth, because that's the kind of relationship I want to have with you." Naruto placed his hand beseechingly on Kakashi's shoulder, peering up at him anxiously. "Isn't that the kind of relationship you want to have with me?"

It was the impassioned plea of a teenager, one that knew just how contrary life could be and still thought that he could do enough to change it and make everything better. Naruto still dreamed of fairness and peace, and Kakashi had sworn himself into his aid, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't also tell him the truth when it needed to be told. "You know that is impossible, Naru." He said gently, squeezing the hand he was holding reassuringly. Searching those blue eyes with his own, he sought to explain what he meant. "We're Shinobi, you know that. There are going to be times when we're under orders and we can't tell each other 'everything'." Kakashi didn't even know if he could bring himself to tell **anyone** everything when he wasn't doing a mission brief.

Naruto thought he understood what was troubling the Jounin. Kakashi had always been a very private person, right from the very first moment that he'd met him…that first day on the roof when he'd told the newly formed Team Seven exactly nothing about himself and expected them to tell him their dreams. "I don't want to know everything…I mean, not…_everything…._" He wasn't really that nosy, but there were important things that he knew they shouldn't hide from each other and those were the things he was the most concerned with. "I know that there'll be times when you can't tell me where you're going, or I can't tell you what my mission is, but can't you tell which ones you **should** tell me?"

Gathering himself, thinking hard, Kakashi considered all of the things that he knew about Naruto—the things that he was forbidden from telling him—and all of the secrets that he dearly wanted to share. The best he could do was offer his best, and he released the tension he'd been holding in with a deep, quavering sigh. "All I can do is _try_, Naruto. You're going to have to understand that I'll be breaking the habit of a lifetime. I'm going to need some help."

"I can do that." A slow smile spread over his face as he set his cup down on the table, and plucked the silver-haired man's from his hand to safekeeping, as he launched himself at Kakashi, tackling the older man back amongst the pillows as he spread himself over the lithe, powerful body beneath him. "You aren't going to know what happened to you." Naruto smirked gleefully, closing his eyes as he tugged down the dark mask. He really wanted to see what Kakashi looked like so badly, because he'd heard the stories of how handsome the man must be to have to hide his face away like that. But, he knew that Kakashi wasn't ready and, as hard as that was to accept, he could respect that reluctance…besides… he'd had more than a little experience finding that mouth when he couldn't see it, and he moaned lightly into a kiss as he was flipped over on his back and pressed back down into the pillows himself.

"I already don't know what's happened to me, Naruto." Kakashi replied softly, whispering against that golden skin as he laid tiny kisses along the curve of the teen's jaw. "I only know what to call him." A hoarse giggle that escaped from those delicious lips was smothered as he took them again, and he wound his arms around that arching, compact form and tugged him tight against him.

A thick heat, low and heavy oozed through his body and he stifled a moan as curious fingers travelled up over his ribs and back down again, ending up on his hips where they pattered a nervous little tattoo on the angles of his bones. Kakashi could read the slight unease in that move, as if Naruto didn't quite know what to do with his hands, so he reached back and grabbed one, sliding it up under the sweater he was wearing to lay that warm palm directly on the skin of his back. "You can touch me, Naru." He encouraged, nipping at the pulse throbbing in the teen's throat. "Please."

A ragged breath blew out of Naruto as he touched Kakashi for the first time in this intimate way. The Jounin's skin was curiously cool under his hand, but the feel of that body, so firmly muscled and the skin over it so soft, made sparks dance in his blood. Set free by the permission that he'd been given, he swept his hand over that back, feeling the muscles ripple and twitch as he touched them, so he stroked this way and that, trying to keep his wits about him as Kakashi's mouth found a spot on his neck that made him whine with need.

Arching, breathless, Naruto shifted on the pillows, sliding his legs wider in an effort to get closer to the other man, clutching at his back as Kakashi moved too, and one of the Jounin's hard, slim thighs came up between his legs to rest right at the juncture there. Whatever breath he'd had left blew out of him in a rush, and he curled his fingers into the man's shoulder blade, feeling a gasp leave Kakashi as his fingernails dug into him briefly.

"I…_sorry…"_ Rushing to apologize, Naruto turned instinctively towards his companion, moaning as he felt the first scrape of calloused fingertips creep under his sweater to touch his skin, too.

"No…it's good." Kakashi murmured heatedly, not minding that bit of pain at all. Pain was a part of a Shinobi's life, after all, and if it spiced up his pleasure, that was all to the better for him. "I don't mind if you scratch me." Tooth and nail…that was a part of who Naruto was as well, and he'd never minded that about him either. He pushed his thigh a little harder against his smaller love's groin, relishing the delightful reaction that got him as one strong leg coiled around his, drawing him even closer.

Carefully, tenderly, he ran his fingers over the warm, golden skin he found beneath the teen's shirt, holding Naruto close to him to watch as his head tipped back to expose the length of his neck once more, revealing the cord of the pendant he'd given him, making Kakashi smile to see that he still hadn't taken it off. Naruto loved it when he kissed his neck, and so he applied his mouth there, taking the time to lick and suck small blooming bruises into that golden skin that seemed to disappear before his wondering eye.

_Kyuubi._ Kakashi thought, nuzzling his nose into the crook of neck and shoulder, holding onto Naruto with a tightening grip as the teen began to grind his bottom harder against his thigh. _It heals him, even of those._ Stroking his hands over ribs and around to the plane of his lower back, he inhaled deeply, the hint of earth and warm fur tickling at his nostrils as it had before. The scent called to keep exploring and he did so, sliding the blue shirt from the solid curve of a shoulder to kiss the skin right down to a firming nipple as his fingertips tripped over the bumps of a flexing spine. "Ahh, Naruto..." Breathing harshly, he raised his head from that temptation to see a deep flush spread from there up to the sunshine hair, and suddenly there was a muffled squeal as the teen arched hard against him and shivered like electricity had just been run under his skin. Caught by the sensual beauty of that sight, Kakashi could only stop and stare, his whole being focused on Naruto as he shuddered through the sensations of his peak.

A whispered epithet left the Jounin's lips as he took in the erotic loveliness of Naruto's climax-the utter abandon with which the teen gave himself over to the rush of heat and pleasure that overtook him just from rubbing himself against Kakashi's thigh-made heat rise and rise inside of him. He wished that he'd had his Sharingan uncovered, for the urge to keep that vision with him always consumed him as he held that writhing body until it went still in his embrace.

Naruto sagged in the aftermath, curling into Kakashi's arms as the man followed him down into the pillows, holding him close as his thoughts returned to him from the white, blinding place where they'd gone in the explosion of pleasure. Embarrassment flooded him as his thoughts came back though, for he'd just _done that _with his sensei. He'd just rubbed himself all over Kakashi and now his pants were…_Oh, Kami…_Flaming heat filled his face, but rather than turn away from the silver-haired man, he clung to him even tighter, needing the reassurance of his presence to help get him through this first, _awful_, time.

"Kakashi, I…"

"_Beautiful."_

The Jounin's hoarse voice interrupted him and Naruto froze as he heard the raw, uninhibited desire aching in that voice.

"_You are so utterly beautiful."_ The kiss that claimed his lips was breathtaking in the urgent need it conveyed, and Naruto understood in that single, pulse-pounding second that his moment of bliss had far from offended his crush, it had, instead, pushed him that much further into the man's heart.

Desperately cupping the nape of Naruto's neck, Kakashi held him to him, cradling that compact, muscular form to his own body possessively as he took that sweet mouth as fiercely as he could. Feeling the stiffness that had been in that form ever since the younger man had awakened to what he'd done ease, he knew that Naruto had realized exactly what effect he'd had on him, and that eased his need to claim as well. With a low, lusting chuckle, he released his love's lips and leaned in to place his forehead against that golden hair, caressing soothing circles into the soft skin of the teen's back as he cradled him close.

"Happy New Year to me." Kakashi murmured, his heart skipping a happy beat inside of his chest. He didn't care that he had a problem aching to be taken care of, too. All that mattered was the emotional well-being of his little love. So long as Naruto was contented then he was just fine with leaving his own fulfillment for later. Taking this relationship slowly had been his goal all along…he just hadn't figured in the unrestrained urges of a seventeen-year-old lover. "That was one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen, Naru." He groaned, raising up just enough to look at that still-flushed face. He kissed the tip of a pert nose and the gleaming gold of his lashes. "I think that we might have gotten close to New Year's, love, now that I mention it."

As if his words were the cue to begin, the bells began to ring out at the Buddhist temple in the village, echoing over the roofs and from the large red walls, until the joyous sound reverberated through Kakahi's skull. With a laugh, he kissed Naruto again, but this time it was a kiss speaking of new days and new possibilities, and when their mouths parted the silver-haired man looked at his love and whispered…"There you go, love. Your first kiss of the New Year, and it's all mine."

"That's who I wanted to have it." Naruto whispered back. "All along, just you." He knew that he could be embarrassed by what had just happened, and by the dampness spreading in the front of his pants, but he'd only just begun to consider that when Kakashi kissed his cheek and urged him up.

"I know you need to get up, Naru. Go change, and I'll still be here when you get back."

A great reluctance filled Naruto to leave the warm nest of pillows and the arms of his Shinobi, but the prickle in his pants was getting uncomfortable, and so he gathered up his courage and got to his feet and disappeared into the bathroom. When he emerged from the room, he shut off the lights, plunging the room into a deep, shadowy darkness and padded the short distance to the other man. He was clean, and changed into a different pair of pants, and he was happy to see that Kakashi was just where he'd said he'd be, the man's form but a shadow in the dying light from the coals in the hibachi, but he had his arms out for Naruto to crawl back into the shelter of them. The teen could feel a little of the shyness come out of him again, as he remembered grinding himself against one of those slim, hard thighs, but there was nothing but welcome in the set of the Jounin's body so he went to his knees and crawled across the pillows to curl back into those open arms, sliding over the long, lithe length of the man's body as he did so.

"Ne, Kakashi…" That raspy voice cracked a little as the younger man spoke, but Kakashi waited patiently for his love to finish what he'd started, hearing the long, deep yawn that had interrupted him. "Does this mean that you're my boyfriend?"

A temptation to laugh at that innocent question flitted through the Jounin, but he recognized the heartfelt desire behind it, and he cuddled Naruto a little closer, feeling the telltale looseness of a body that was very close to sleep. "Is that what you'd like, Naru?" He murmured quietly, his hands stroking soothingly over the line of the teen's back. Kakashi felt the nod, rather than saw it, for the light was low enough now that he could barely see past the end of his own nose, but the muttered '_mm-hmm'_ was loud enough for him to hear.

"All right then, love. That's what we are…boyfriends."

A sleepy sigh was breathed against his neck as Naruto nuzzled into it, and the urge to sleep began to rise warmly through Kakashi's body as well. Reaching behind him to the bed at his back, he tugged Naruto's comforter down to spread over the both of them, a close fit for two men under a twin-sized, but by sacrificing himself by cuddling even closer to Naruto, he managed to make them both fit. By then a deep, steady breath was washing over him, and he knew that the teen had faded off to sleep, no doubt the intensity of his release had made him even more exhausted. Yawning, he let his eyes close, tugging his mask back up into place once he was done, and sliding off his hitai-ate. _Soon._ He promised silently, to himself more than anyone else. Soon he'd feel secure enough to expose that last part of himself to his younger love, for he'd never expect Naruto to love him without letting him see just what was hidden behind that ubiquitous piece of fabric.

"_Akemashiteomedeto, Naruto._" He murmured lovingly. "Happy New Years, my heart."

And Kakashi let himself go and followed his love into the darkness of sleep.

Knknkn

Waking, as always with Kakashi—_when he wasn't in the hospital, that is_—happened between this second and the next. The dark emptiness of sleep giving way to the sharp wakefulness that could mean the difference between life and death while on a mission. One moment there was nothing but the subtle awareness of _being_ asleep, and then he was conscious…focused…and he remembered exactly where it was he was sleeping, and who was lying against him.

_Naruto. _ So much better than waking up beside some casual partner that he'd taken to bed to alleviate a need. And even nicer than opening his eyes to the knowledge that the one he was lying against was his mission comrade and he had another day of dodging death to look forwards to. Instead he was lying curled on the pillows on the floor of the teen's apartment, the purloined comforter half on him and half on the younger man splayed so loosely beside him. Reaching up, he pushed Naruto's wrist away from his face, a smile spreading over his lips as he took in the way his pillow-partner had sprawled out in his sleep.

The teen was on his back, a pillow under his neck had tipped his head away back so that the crown of his golden hair was on the floor. He supposed that was why there'd been no snoring during the night, and he made a mental note to remember that technique for the next time they shared a sleeping space. His smile widened at that thought, and he smirked a bit at the one that followed after. _This would definitely be happening again._ Shifting a bit, the leg that had been draped over his hips, fell off, and Kakashi wondered how Naruto could possibly sleep well when he'd been half-hanging off of him and half wrapped around the cooled hibachi in his sleep. He only wished he had a camera to take a picture of it. The drool alone…he suppressed a giggle at the way the teen would react if he showed that around.

Sliding out from beneath the comforter, he threw it all over Naruto, leaving him to sleep while he went to the bathroom to freshen up. The internal wake-up call he'd set for just before dawn had served him well, by the graying light in the window, he had just enough time to wash and change before waking the teen and getting him to do the same. This was the reason for his staying over after all, far beyond the pleasure he'd gotten from spending time with Naruto, and the unforgettable experience of seeing his golden-haired love fall to his fulfillment by grinding against him. Looking at his own reflection in the mirror as he washed, Kakashi could see the expression of that moment like a shooting star in the iris of his right eye. Even without the Sharingan, he knew he would never forget just how that beautiful and abandoned Naruto had looked as he shuddered and twitched, and the rut of that round bottom against his thigh.

Sighing, smiling as he moved from the bathroom to Naruto's small kitchen, he cast an inquiring glance at the younger man and wasn't surprised to find him still asleep, the drool a small puddle growing ever larger beside his head. _He is all too cute._ Kakashi thought, putting the kettle on the stove to boil. Searching soundlessly through the cupboards, he found some tea, and measured it carefully into the teapot before getting down the mugs. It was the perfect way to greet the first sunrise of the year, he thought, and he nipped the kettle from the heat just before it was about to whistle.

Tea safely made, he knelt down beside Naruto and whispered into his ear, licking the sensitive skin of his lobe just to see the reaction he would get. Somehow he wasn't surprised when the teen snorted and twitched and defiantly kept right on sleeping. Kakashi was just too familiar with how deeply the younger man slept so he resorted to tougher tricks, stripping the comforter right off of Naruto and throwing it back onto the bed.

With a groan, the teen rolled over, and curled himself right around the hibachi, and that did coax a laugh from the Jounin, for the ceramic burner was as cold as the wind outside now. "Naruto." He laughed, leaning in to run his uncovered mouth over the side of that exposed neck. "Wake up now, it's almost dawn." Kakashi slid his hand down over the teen's side, taking advantage of the shirt that had ridden up in his sleep to run his fingers over that tanned, soft skin, like he hadn't been able to last time he'd seen Naruto in this condition. Over his sleep-softened belly, to circle the indent of that tempting navel, pondering as he did so, just how it would taste to dip his tongue in there. Just as that thought appeared, so did the intricate black seal that he knew was one of the last things his late sensei had drawn…the delicate and powerful seal that had locked the Nine-Tailed Demon inside of his own child, and had changed this incredible boy's life forever.

"Hello, Kyuubi-sama." Kakashi murmured, bending over Naruto's supine body to kiss his hip. He didn't really expect that the spirit bound within the teen's body would hear him, but that demon was a part of Naruto whether he liked it or not, and he would never penalize the one he loved for something he had no control over.

From the winter-bared trees outside, he heard the first birdsong of the day. The winter-hardy birds already in full throat as they acknowledged the changing colours of the eastern horizon. _Time to wake him up properly._ Kakashi thought, cupping one hand over Naruto's hip to rub that point that would bring the teen back into wakefulness no matter how tired he was. "Time to get up, Naru…" Whispering, pulling up his mask, he stretched himself alongside that moving, shifting body and watched those blue eyes open for the first time this year.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"_Mmmm…whaaa…?"_

"You know you are adorable with drool on your chin, don't you?" Kakashi laughed when a hand raced to Naruto's chin to wipe it off, and he rolled away, getting back to his feet in a smooth and effortless motion that continued on into a walk as he went to take up his mug and sip at his tea.

"I don't drool!" Naruto whined, groaning painfully as he realized just how early it really was. He was tired, and he was…_awww, damnit! Did he really do that…?_ He screwed his eyes shut for a long time before daring to look at Kakashi again, and when he did he felt his face go bright red.

"Get up." Kakashi urged, ignoring the embarrassment and nudging the other mug of tea with a single finger.

"But I…" The teen whined, sitting up and shoving both hands through his unruly golden hair.

"Rutted on me and had an orgasm?" The Jounin deadpanned, sipping his tea.

"You…_You…" _Naruto was on his feet in a flash, trying to get to the man who was so calmly drinking his tea when he'd just made such horrible fun of him. He tripped over a cushion and was caught by that same man and hauled tight against a firm chest, Kakashi's one free arm making a prisoner of him. Trying to hold onto the momentary anger that had taken over his embarrassment, he couldn't when that single gray eye gazed down at him with a look so full of heat that his stomach tightened instantly in response.

"Tell me, Naruto. Murmuring, Kakashi leaned in, pressing the tip of his covered nose to that pert one, going further to nuzzle his face to scarred cheeks until a gasp escaped the teen and he kissed him through the dark blue fabric of his mask. "Do you remember what I said to you after you did that? Do you really think that I minded that _my boyfriend_ got off just by doing that? You…were the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my whole life."

That sank in, past the shivers the Jounin's kisses had sparked, and past the shyness he thought he should be feeling. "Whole life?" He repeated doubtfully, his gaze trained on that single grey eye.

"Whole life." Kakashi confirmed, stroking soothingly up and down the teen's tense spine. "Damned sexy, too, if I must say. Now, come on, go get dressed… we have a sunrise to catch, do we not?"

Naruto nodded, a huge smile breaking like the sun over that beautiful face, and the silver-haired man just basked in it for few moments before he relinquished the hold he had on the teen. When the younger man turned to walk away, Kakashi let him go, relishing the way the teen had been able to let go of what had happened last night and accept his reassurance. Naruto was really growing up…really maturing, and he was happy that he was the one that got to see it. That he would be by Naruto's side as he became the great man Kakashi fully expected him to be.

A gloriously childish giggle interrupted the Jounin's musings though, and when he looked up, that potential 'great man' was staring at him, a wide, loopy grin on his face as he pointed back at him. "Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "You just called me your boyfriend! _Heh heh_." He did a wide swing before he headed into the bathroom, and Kakashi sighed as he watched the door close.

_Well, he __**was**__ still working on the 'maturing' part of it._

Naruto was still giggling as he pulled off his clothes, the giddiness of having a boyfriend…_of having Kakashi for a boyfriend_…was way more awesome than having to worry about something he'd done last night. He couldn't really explain what happened anyways. One minute it had just been heat spreading up from his groin, pooling warmly in his belly, like it usually did when he and Kakashi kissed, and the next minute the pressure and the heat had spiraled wildly, and parts of himself that he'd never really considered sensitive in that way were aching and he'd just spilled himself. Just like that.

Heat did caress his cheeks then, and he bit nervously at his bottom lip, reaching down to touch himself where the pressure had been last night. Naruto sucked in a breath as sparks fired in his blood just from cradling that soft sac, and the fingers that he stroked over the skin just behind there made his knees quiver. "_Ohh…"_ The exclamation escaped from him, and he caught at the sink beside him so his knees wouldn't actually buckle. The book Iruka had given him had said _something _about that, but he'd kind of been too shy to actually try it.

_Now he knew that it really was true…_

The sound of Kakashi moving in the other room made Naruto freeze, his hands stilling between his thighs. Moving slowly, as if _his boyfriend_ could actually see what he was doing through the bathroom door, he moved his hands away from his body, and took a single step forward, darting out to grab a change of clothes from the ones drying over the shower curtain rack. Slipping into them, he washed up hurriedly, drying his hands and face before opening the door and going back out to join the silver-haired man.

"Hurry, Naruto." Kakashi urged. He'd already slid his feet into his winter boots, and he watched bemusedly as the teen did the same, not even bothering to put on socks before he did so. In his left hand he held the mug of tea he'd poured for Naruto, and in his right, the comforter they'd slept under. "Here, take this, it'll keep you warm." Taking that warm hand in his own, he tugged the younger man along after him, anticipation singing in his nerves. He'd never done this before…spent this special moment with anyone, not even Minato-sensei, and for the first time he was going to be sharing the first sunrise of the year with someone else…with Naruto.

Out into the cold chill of the morning, dragging the awkward teen behind him, Kakashi took him around to the eastern side of the apartment building his eyes fixed on the brightening horizon. They'd just made it, for the first curve of the sun wasn't above the earth yet, but the night sky was definitely disappearing as hues of lavender and rose, and the softest blue-gray began to light the edge of the great red walls.

"Come here." Kakashi whispered roughly, wrapping the comforter lengthwise around his shoulders. He held out his arms to Naruto, sighing happily as the teen came to him, drawing him in to lean back into the shelter of the Jounin's body so that he could curl his arms, and the warm blanket, around the compact form of his love. "Watch this with me, and think of good things for the year to come. Peace, and happiness, and…" 

"You." Naruto murmured, tilting his head in to nuzzle against Kakashi's chin. "I want to think about you."

The depth of emotion that filled the Jounin at that innocent, loving statement nearly overwhelmed him, and for the first time in his life Kakashi found himself blinking back tears of happiness. He tightened his arms around Naruto and pressed a kiss to his temple, taking a great comfort in the feeling of that pliant body so relaxed against his own. Naruto was a great gift for him…the certainty of the teen's heart, and the generosity of his affection sparking life within him when he'd thought that all he'd ever have was the duty of a Shinobi and the Will of Fire. There were people that he cared about, that'd he'd die to protect, but Naruto was the first person to give him a sense of home.

"Thank you, Naruto." He breathed. "I want to think about you, too."

To the east, the great, golden peach of the rising sun finally broke over the horizon, that soft pink light washing over the tops of the red walls that protected Konoha from harm. Streaks of that light edged buildings and trees, and though Kakashi had seen sunrises before, none had ever been as beautiful as this first one of the New Year with Naruto in his arms, and they watched in stunned silence until the sun was round and bright in the bluing morning sky and the day was upon them. Swallowing hard around an array of emotions he couldn't even begin to decipher, Kakashi at last broke the quiet, his low tenor crisp in the chill of the early hour. "Was it all you wished for, Naru?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." The teen murmured hoarsely, turning his head to look up at his boyfriend. He felt so contented, like he never wanted to move again, from the heat of Kakashi's body at his back to the way the Jounin seemed to want to snuggle against him. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well, you know," Kakashi answered, a smiled tugging at his lips and curving the lashes of his visible eye. "We both have the rest of the day off, and nothing's open. You want to go fly a kite?"

A delighted giggle burst from Naruto at the thought of flying a kite with one of the best Shinobi that his village had ever had, the mental image of his sensei holding onto a kite string, playing out the line, made him want to laugh loudly, but he held it in. Instead he pulled free of Kakashi's arms and caught his hand, tugging the man along just as he'd done to him earlier. "I have some mochi balls made up with some daikai on them, we have to have one before we do anything else. It's how you're supposed to start the new year, after all. And then…then we can go and fly a kite!"

He did laugh then, and Kakashi with him, as he pulled the man back into his apartment. Today was a holiday. There were no shops open, and people everywhere would be spending the day with their loved ones. For the first time Naruto had someone to do that with, too, and he intended to enjoy every minute of it before they got back to training tomorrow.

"Hey, you know… This is the best holiday I've ever had. I just wanted you to know that. It's…it's been really special, and it's because of you." Naruto stuttered out his words, and blushed when the silver-haired man took up one of his hands and kissed the back of it.

"Maa, Naruto." Kakashi drawled softly in response, his grey eye meeting those earnest ones of sky blue. "I feel exactly the same way. Just so you know, too."

**Hatsuhinode is the tradition of greeting the first sunrise of New Year's Day in Japan. Usually it is done with family or friends that are very dear to you so you start your year off auspiciously. They have a tradition of celebrating 'firsts' on that day…first visitor, first kiss, etc.**

**Omisoka is New Year's Eve.**

**Osechi-ryori is a variety of dishes usually cooked for New Years, some of which are also individually mentioned, such as kamaboko, or ozoni.**

**Any mistakes regarding New Year's tradition in Japan are mine, and mine alone…oh, well, and Wikipedia's. Though I did look it up on a few other sites, too. -K.E.K.**

**Guys, I want to thank you all for reading this story, it's been over a year now and I have gotten to talk to some really cool people and got to know that me and KitElizaKing are making people happy. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I want to thank KitElizaKing and all you great reviewers like Cicatrix6, Prescripto13, DREAMER1084 and all of you. (Sorry I couldn't name you all but we love you guys.) **

**This chapter was part of chapter 13 but we felt it was a good stand alone so it is chapter 14. – Deathwish91296**

**Hope you enjoyed the second half of our holiday chapter. Next we'll be back to training and you'll see some more of Neji. **

**Please review…we thrive on your kind words. **

**-KitElizaKing & Deathwish**


	15. Chapter 15

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 15**

**No More False Faces**

"_Something's getting in the way._

_Something's just about to break._

_I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane._

_As I burn another page,_

_As I look the other way._

_I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane." _

_-'_**The Diary of Jane' by Breaking Benjamin**

_It wasn't as cold as it had been, but there was still a chill in this subterranean room which he now knew as a hellish home. Neji gazed up at the chains that held him dangling above the ground, considering the links and the weakness he was hoping to find there. He'd be damned if he would be calling this place 'home' for long though…for he and Tzu had been talking of many different ways to escape together. Disappointingly, every idea they'd come up with had been shot down, for one of them would find a huge weak point in the plan. But that didn't mean that they'd stopped trying._

_Neji looked over at his friend to see the older man staring down at the floor. "It's weird, you know." Neji said calmly, seeing that the man needed to be distracted. "To miss how it feels to walk." Tzu who had looked up when Neji began speaking gave a smile and nod to the young man in acknowledgement of what he was attempting._

_Abruptly, the door to their so-called 'home' was slammed open and the man that Neji had identified as Yami walked into the room. Yami didn't waste any time or speech, but quickly walked towards Tzu as Neji tracked his every movement with his eyes. _

_Grabbing the elderly man by the throat and yanking him towards him, a cruel smirk came over that twisted face. "Your time has come…old man." The dark-haired man snarled, reaching up with his other hand to release the chains around Tzu's wrists. Yami barked out a laugh as he let go of the hold he had on the man and watched him crash to the floor. And he continued to laugh with a vicious glee as Tzu struggled onto his hands and knees to try and work his way up to standing. Yami shouted his enjoyment as he kicked Tzu in the stomach, making the older man fall again. _

"_**Leave him alone!" **__ Neji screamed each blow a wince that he shared with the older man. The young ANBU couldn't bear to see how the man he'd come to befriend was being treated, and he trembled with rage as Yami began to drag Tzu by his hair towards the door. Neji pulled with all of his strength to get himself free from the chains but nothing was working as he failed over and over again. _

"_**I said leave him alone you piece of SHIT!" **__Neji screamed, rattling the chains around his wrists like a madman as he swung back and forth in his fury. The sudden thud of fist against flesh knocked him from his anger, and before he had a chance to react, an elbow hit him in the neck at lightning speed and choked off all of his breath._

_Pressing his elbow harder against the young ANBU's throat, Yami shared a vengeful grin as he watched the younger man trying desperately to catch a bit of breath. Every time silver-eyed teen almost succeeded the Akatsuki member would just press harder on his throat and cut him off again. "You are very irritating." Yami hissed as he bared his teeth. _

_Neji, still fighting to catch his breath, looked the man in the eyes. "Yeah…well…so is your...hair." Perhaps if he'd had a bit more air he would have thrown in some of Gai-sensei's pearls of wisdom, but he was barely getting enough air to breathe. He watched as a huge fist drew back to strike again, but something halted the Akatsuki—Neji could only think that it was that he had to stay alive to be worth anything—and then Yami turned the threatening gesture into a face-saving one as he ran his hand through his short, but crazy-looking black hair._

_The man turned to leave the room, ignoring Neji and grabbing Tzu to drag him along with him once more. Neji, whose head had dropped in relief after being released couldn't resist one last prod, and he looked up again, managing to rasp out one more taunt. "I hope you don't think your hair will come back into style." He sneered, but Yami just kept walking, throwing Tzu out ahead and slamming that damned door closed behind him. _

_Hours had passed since Tzu was taken, or so it seemed, for Neji had pried and yanked and did everything that he could to loosen the hold the chains had on him. He had tried to escape by going through every means he could think up, using each and every one of those rejected plots, and as had been predicted, he had failed. His head was bowed, his long, dark brown hair a curtain around his face as he panted out a bitter defeat, barely registering the sound of someone at the prison door. _

_When it slid open very slowly, he didn't bother looking up. He knew this could be it—that they might have finally found someone to 'buy' him, so when the man came to undo his chains Neji knew that this would be his only chance to escape, and he quickly began to plan. _

_As the final chain was removed, Neji let his weight take him to his knees, rolling up in the same motion to his feet, grateful to see that they would hold him after all of this time. The isometric exercises Gai-sensei had always made them do had done their job, and he swore in the moment before he attacked that if he ever made it back to Konoha, he would be sure to tell his teacher just how much his lessons had helped. _

_As he stood, he activated his Byakugan, seeking the weaknesses in chakra so that he could attack, and he grabbed at the man by the black cloak and threw him against the wall, following him in immediately. The man's face was but a blur before Neji as he threw himself after him; blinded by fury and the fear that this was the time he most needed to succeed or to die trying. With swift, almost invisible speed, he hit at the chakra points, taking out several chakra conduits before the man began to collapse towards him, and the Taijutsu that all of Maito Gai's students excelled at came into play. _

_A step back and Neji kneed the folding man in the face, bouncing the skull up again but with a satisfyingly bloody nose this time. He followed through with several strikes to the face, the man's dark hair swinging back and forth as the punches landed, until Neji was forced to grab a hold of the man by that hair and turn him so he could hit him again. Almost at once, a hand captured his and held it, and crimson eyes looked at him briefly before a head butt knocked their hitai-ates together violently, and the young ANBU was knocked back to the ground. _

_Rolling up to attack again, he saw instead that the Uchiha wasn't striking back. The crimson eyes had been his tip-off, and though he quivered at the thought of taking on this legendary missing-nin again, Neji clenched his fists and made ready to do it with everything that he still possessed._

_Itachi stood quietly, looking at the teen that had drawn his blood. He wiped the slick hotness of it from his face with slow deliberation before speaking. "I am not your enemy today…" he said, his voice deep and cold._

_Neji, still with his hands in a guarded position, was set back by the words that he heard. "What's going on?!" He rasped, his tone rising with his anxiety, unsure why the other man was holding back._

_Another measuring moment passed as those black-specked eyes examined the teen weary with exhaustion before him. "They haven't killed you for your eyes. They are worth more money than the pleasure of killing you would bring satisfaction." Itachi watched as the Hyuuga boy shuddered, straightening only under the force of his own will. "No one is here but you and I." His tone remained monotone and cool, but there was information in the bleakness of it if the boy was willing to listen._

_Shocked into immobility, Neji could only stare at the black-clad man, suspicion lingering in his eyes as the Uchiha took a step back towards the wall, and then another. "Y-you're helping me?!" He cried out disbelievingly._

"_There isn't a lot of time." Itachi said, completely ignoring the teen's question. "So I would hope you would start moving." Blood was still pouring from his nose, staining his lower face and the front of his robes, the sickness that had slowly been devouring him aiding in the free flow of the fluid. Any weapons he could find that wouldn't be missed were sitting just outside the door, waiting for the Hyuuga to take this opportunity and flee—he just wished the boy wasn't so slow to take advantage of what was being offered to him. _

"_Where are they taking Tzu?" Neji asked, the adrenaline in his blood making him antsy to go in spite of his trembling limbs._

_Leaning his weight back against the wall, Itachi couldn't stop the short bark of amazed laughter. "You can't be serious! There's no time for you to rescue that old man." The dismay was obvious in that deep voice as he let out a groan, the tremors in his body demanding that he just sit down._

"_I'll have to find him myself, then." Neji said quietly, his silver eyes dark with determination. He stepped cautiously closer to the slowly sinking Uchiha, not sure if he was being tricked, or if this was nothing but an exercise in breaking his spirit. "You feel weak like I do." Looking into those crimson eyes, he could see that it was true._

"_Yes." Itachi answered. "There is, perhaps, a reason that fights between our Clans were discouraged. Our battle did something to the both of us." That was why he'd been left behind to guard this boy, giving him the chance he'd been hoping for to break him out. "I can do no more than this…do not ask me." _

_Clenching his fists, Neji stood his ground, wavering where he stood physically, but set to this course on his very honour. "Please…tell me where Yami has taken him."_

"_Town square." Itachi finally responded, seeing the course the teen had locked himself upon. There was no hiding the tone of derision in his voice though…not that he tried._

"_So that everyone can watch him die." Neji finished the thought, understanding the reasoning behind it. With one last look at the bleeding Uchiha, Neji turned and darted out the door, stopping only long enough to gather up weapons left just outside of it. He didn't pause to wonder why they were there, he only took what he could use and began to run, feeling the inherent weakness of legs that had been dangling for too long, and the insipient weakness of his reclaimed chakra. _

"_This…" He mused as he tried to force himself to maintain his pace, accepting the knowledge that only adrenaline had gotten him through that initial fight with Itachi Uchiha. "This… isn't going to be easy…"_

…_KNKNKN…_

The second day of January dawned as if spring, too, wanted to lay a first claim to Konoha in the New Year and begin the process that would drive away the cold winter weather that had had the village in its grip. Chill, crisp air gave way to the first stirring breaths of a new season, and the heat of the rising sun was evident almost as soon as it had cleared the edge of the great red walls. Dirty, sharp-edged snow banks along the roads and the sidewalks softened and dripped, pooling into mucky puddles that swamped unwary feet.

For the wary Shinobi though - an extremely hardy species that made walking in tight situations a daily part of their lives - there was no hazard in the cold, wet puddles. And for Kakashi in particular, lazily sauntering towards the Hokage Tower, there was nothing else in the world but the warm, shining sun, and the thoughts of the younger man he'd had in his arms yesterday.

_Lovesick._ _He was lovesick…there was no other word for it. _The memories of the day he'd had with Naruto yesterday were cradled warmly in his heart, for it had been such a special occasion that Kakashi knew he would never forget it. For the first time ever he'd spent New Year's as he'd always heard it should be spent; in the company of the one that he cared about. Talking and eating, sharing food and laughter, and such heated kisses that his cheeks stained under his dark blue mask just at the physical memory of them. A low chortle of delight moved him, and if his step got just a little quicker in response to those pleasurable sensations it was only because he was that much more eager to see his 'boyfriend' again.

_Boyfriend, yes…he could get used to calling Naruto that._

The long, open street that led up to the base of the Hokage Tower slanted steadily upwards beneath his feet, the buildings lining it and the people that he passed dismissed as unimportant in his half-aware reverie. When Kakashi finally came in sight of the gates in the walls that surrounded the huge red building, his heart did an embarrassing little dance, pulling all of his senses back to the present, for there waiting for him was Naruto himself. The sun shining off that head of golden hair, and the delight visible in those blue eyes was a better greeting than any other he could think of, and though his step didn't quicken any more, the smile that curved his lips under his mask was there for all who cared to witness it.

"Naruto, yo." Kakashi's voice was soft and husky, rich with emotion, not at all the smooth, cool tenor he was known for.

"Kakashi-sensei!" A bright smile lit up that beautiful face, and Kakashi was yet again reminded of his belief that the sun at his back could never be as warm as this sunny teen here in front of him. Naruto took a few steps towards him, his shoulders curling inwards, as if his whole body was asking for a hug, and for a few moments the Jounin was so tempted to do that for him-to just take him in his arms and feel that sturdy, compact body against his own again. Instead, mastering himself, he reached out and let one hand rest on a strong shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"How are you this morning, Naruto? Did you sleep well?" _Did you have good dreams like I did? _Kakashi wanted to ask. _Did you miss the presence of my body alongside yours, as I missed yours by mine?_

Naruto wanted to touch the other man so badly. He really wanted that hug, and the sensation of Kakashi's arms around him after having it all day yesterday, and some of that desire must have made it to his eyes for he felt the brush of Kakashi's thumb over his cheek before the man's hand dropped away from his shoulder. "Yeah." He replied, straightening his posture somewhat. "I slept well. Must have been all of that fresh air." They'd actually gone and flown a kite yesterday, and then just walked around one of the prettier, forested training fields, getting lost for a while in the sparkling white snow and the sharp scent of spruce and pine as they'd talked and kissed. Supper had been at Kakashi's, and more kisses and caresses, and as much as Naruto had wanted to spend the night at the man's side once more, he'd been escorted back to his door with a reminder of the meeting this morning whispered against his lips.

"Heh, sensei…I'm surprised that you're here so early." He'd made up his mind he was going to wait for the silver-haired Jounin to arrive and go in with him so, though Naruto had gotten here on time, he'd settled in to wait for his boyfriend to show up no matter how late he was. _Sensei. Boyfriend. _It did feel kind of weird to call the man he'd done _stuff_ with 'teacher', but they kind of had an agreement, and until they decided to tell everyone that they were seeing each other, then he was content to keep it to himself.

_No embarrassing comments that way. No blushes or awkward explanations until they were both ready to face it. Telling Sakura…ugh…thinking of doing that scared him silly all by itself…_

"I thought you might have been waiting for me, Naru." Kakashi replied softly, seeing those blue eyes fade away as his companion considered something in his mind. "And I didn't want Tsunade getting mad at the both of us because of my bad habits."

"Yeah, Baa-Chan doesn't really need any more reasons to get mad at either one of us." Naruto replied, with a hint of a grin. Both he and Kakashi were better known as 'brats' to the Godaime, earning her displeasure through their actions, let alone by opening their mouths. "Ehhh, maybe we'd better go in."

Turning towards the front doors, Naruto let out an ungainly squeak as strong hands suddenly spun him back, and he was hoisted over Kakashi's shoulder, his head and feet hanging down and his butt in the air. A hand settled there, curving over one of his bottom cheeks and grabbing hold. "HEY!" He cried out, his voice a rising squeal that whistled embarrassingly at the end. "What're you doing?!"

"I thought you wanted a hug." Kakashi murmured back teasingly, his other hand coming over to gather up those squirming legs and tuck them in to his chest. "Was I wrong?"

"What? NO! But…" Naruto's voice failed him abruptly as he was briskly patted on the rear. Just for a moment he felt the solid weight of Kakashi's hitai-ate rest on his hip, and then the heat of his boyfriend's breath was evident even through the heavier material of his winter-weight pants as he spoke.

"Then _shush."_ The older man urged as he walked towards the base of the tower, gathering chakra to his feet before starting the climb. It wasn't Sharingan no Kakashi's habit to use the door after all, so why should it change today just because he had his student_slash_boyfriend with him?

Luckily, the precinct around the tower was pretty quiet this sunny morning, blessedly so considering the usual comings and goings of Shinobi and messengers in and out of those doors. But, there did happen to be more than one Shinobi who witnessed a squalling Naruto Uzumaki being carried into the tower slung over his sensei's shoulder, and they shook their head or grinned as they wondered just what kind of trouble the impetuous blond had gotten into this time, before continuing on with their day.

…KNKNKN…

The sudden wash of cold air at Tsunade's back was all of the warning she got that her Shinobi had arrived and she shivered in reaction to the icy fingers that wanted to slide under her clothes as she heard the man at the window behind her. That in itself was unusual though, for not only was the Hatake 'early' in the scheme of his normal arrival time, but he was never so careless as to give that much of a hint to his presence before he decided to announce it. Her puzzlement over this behavior, and to the fact that Naruto hadn't come bounding into her office yet, were answered just a second later when said blond was dumped onto the floor behind her and went sailing past for several feet on his rear. The distinctive sound of her otouto's infectious laughter filled her office, and she couldn't help but smile even as her honey-colored eyes darkened with confusion.

"Naruto?" Tsunade stared, golden irises glinting with wonder at the happy smile on the teen's face as he sat back on his hands and gave free rein to his giggling. Standing, leaning over her desk, she was astonished at his mode of arrival, and just beginning to consider what had made him come in through her window when the cool breeze at her back was blocked off once more. It was then that she noticed those bright and sparkling blue eyes were looking right past her towards the window, and she knew then just who that gleeful grin was for.

"Close the window, Hatake." Grumping, she planted her hands firmly on her hips in a good imitation of annoyance. "Don't you know that it's still cold outside?"

The breeze stopped as the window soundlessly slid shut and the lean, slinking figure of the Jounin appeared in Tsunade's peripheral vision as he went past her to stand beside the scrambling teen. There was such an aura of joy surrounding Naruto as he popped up to stand beside Kakashi that she couldn't help but respond to it, futilely trying to keep the smile from coming back to her lips.

_Has their relationship progressed so far then? _She thought, concern for her 'little brother' niggling in her heart. _That nascent one she'd glimpsed that day at her old teammate's funeral seemed to have come a long way._

Amber eyes narrowed and she examined Kakashi and Naruto with a new and more suspicious glare, the smile melting from her lips. The air of innocence that still clung to her blond put her mind at ease almost instantly; for it was obvious in spite of the muted, adoring looks in those emotive cerulean eyes, that her little gaki was still just that-innocent. But Tsunade could also tell that the Jounin had awakened _something_ in the teen. That was for sure. For she could see it in the way Naruto's whole form leaned towards Kakashi like he was the moon and the older man a gravitationally attracting Earth.

Turning her attention to that older man, she gave Kakashi a lambent eye, putting all of the weight of her office and her affections for the rambunctious blond behind her questioning glare. A slight hitch of the Jounin's shoulder put her off though, and she _hmph_'d in response. Clearly the man wasn't going to tell her much of anything about what was going on between he and Naruto, and certainly not while the teen was there with them.

"Well then…" Tsunade started, steering her internal musings back to areas she did have the right to demand immediate answers to. _'How is the training going?'_ Was what she was going to ask as she settled down into her chair but the glint of a blue stone hanging around Naruto's neck-one that was too damned hauntingly familiar-stopped up her words before she had a chance to even mutter so much as a syllable of them.

"_**Where did you get that?!"**_

The distraught question spilled from the Hokage's lips as Kakashi tensed in concern. For a split second there was such a look of horror and pain in his leader's golden eyes that he prepared for instant trouble, his whole body tightening, and his senses searching for possible threats. Beside him, he felt Naruto respond to his subconscious cues, that strong body moving away from him to give them both more room to fight if they needed it.

But, between the warning and the tensing, he watched as Tsunade mastered herself and the Sannin-powered KI in the office dropped back down to a level that eased the urge to fight, but still left Kakashi's nerve endings buzzing unpleasantly. _What was that about? _He questioned himself, his single, grey eye darting about the room as he tried to figure out what had triggered his leader's outburst. Inching his fingers away from his weapon's pouch, he tracked the source of that surge of KI from Tsunade's eyes to where the necklace he'd given Naruto lay exposed on the front of his orange jacket.

_It must have fallen out when I carried him up here._ Kakashi mused, for he knew the younger man usually kept it tucked away underneath his clothes. A subtle shift in his body weight took him a little closer to Naruto then. A protective instinct awakening in his heart that made him want to shelter the compact form beside him in case their Hokage should direct some of her legendary temper towards his newly-minted boyfriend.

Kakashi knew that Tsunade hadn't missed that slight movement, but he didn't care. All that he cared about was that Naruto wasn't hurt because of something he'd said, or done, or _given_ to the teen. "I gave him that." Kakashi said his voice slightly hoarse with the tension of the moment. "It was…"

"It was his sensei's wife's, Baa-Chan!" Naruto joined in, blissfully, proudly, and unaware that the necklace had been the trigger for the woman's raised KI in the first place. "Kakashi-sensei gave it to me for Christmas."

Two steps and the desk, separated Naruto from Tsunade and Kakashi almost reached out and stopped the teen as he took them, but he knew two things for sure that halted his presumptuous hand-that Tsunade would never casually hurt Naruto-and that any repercussions from this 'gift' would fall directly onto his own deserving shoulders.

"Did he now?" With delicately shivering fingers, Tsunade reached out and touched that pendant; the sight of something she'd once gratefully thought lost reawakening all sorts of dark emotions within her. _Such a history of love and loss in that terribly beautiful blue crystal. _She wanted to scream, and to rip it from Naruto's neck and fling it away from him. She wanted to scream and beat Kakashi black and blue for daring to give it to someone as special as her little gaki, and even as her fingers twitched to do so, she knew that she couldn't do either of those things.

"It's quite…_remarkable_, Naruto." She said instead, controlling her rage and worry enough to find a tremulous half-smile. "I think I might remember seeing that necklace before." Turning away, Tsunade used the few, precious seconds it took her to settle back into her chair to finish controlling the roil of emotions inside of her.

_It made a kind of fateful sense that the necklace had ended up with Kushina Uzumaki. _She allowed, as her heart slowed its frantic beating. _For only she could have made any kind of use of it, considering the unique properties of the blue stone._ Naruto, her son, was the same. He, too, would be able to make use of it even if he wasn't aware of it. With an all-too-audible sigh, Tsunade realized what she had to do now, and she summoned an ANBU to her with a barely perceptible flick of her right index finger. "Find me Yamato." She ordered as the kneeling, white-masked woman appeared at her left. "He's not out on a mission now and I need him here."

A single grey eye had followed all of these developments with intense interest, Kakashi sorting through the information he was receiving, his quick mind examining it from all sides as Tsunade settled and summoned the ANBU. When Yamato was mentioned he immediately referenced what he knew about his former kouhai, and then he, too, stared wonderingly at what he'd always considered to be a normal necklace. Obviously Tsunade knew something more about it than he did, and now he was curious…and wary…about what that might be.

…KNKNKN…

A noise at his bedside drew the man that answered to the name 'Yamato' out of a restless sleep. Transitioning to wakefulness in the quietly questing way of a Shinobi not under imminent attack, his hand stilled on the kunai he'd been pulling out from beneath his pillow as his onyx eyes flicked open to stare at his unannounced visitor.

"Wren." He breathed; recognizing the singular scent of the woman crouched beside his bed even before he saw the stylized mask. "Having sex twice does not entitle you to come into my apartment whenever you want."

"Hah, Tenzo." The ANBU snorted back, straightening up. "I'm only here because Tsunade-sama wants you-not because you're such a great lay that I couldn't stay away."

Rolling over onto his back, Tenzo…or _Yamato_…as he was known now, regarded the woman who stood over him, the two different nights of stress-relieving sex coming back to him. Blinking sleepy eyes, he realized that he was too polite to say the same thing back to her, even though he was thinking it. Too polite, and too smart, for the vivid memory from a past mission of an eyeball _squelching_ obscenely off the end of that very sharp beak on her mask was still an image bright in his mind. Instead he chose to simply wave a hand in acknowledgement of what he'd been told.

"All right then. Go on and tell her I'll be there right away." The female ANBU nodded and disappeared, and Yamato threw back his covers, sliding nude from the bed. The only time his Hokage called for him under this new name had to do with Kakashi's team, and with Naruto in particular, so as he slid into fresh clothing he wondered just what the blond had done that demanded his attention this time.

…KNKNKN…

Thankfully the wait for Yamato was short, for Kakashi had been watching Naruto slowly start to fidget out of the corner of his eye for the last ten minutes now. He could recognize that it would only be a short time before his blond did something goofy to antagonize the Hokage, and he was prepared to head it off…but the muted sound of his former-ANBU comrade's knock came to the door before he had to do anything. Nodding at the brown-haired man as he strode in, Kakashi made room for him to join their group before their leader's desk, sidling closer to Naruto so that the younger man could stand on his other side. "Yamato." He said in greeting, the name 'Tenzo' lingering on the back of his tongue.

"Kakashi-senpai." The other man returned before turning to greet Tsunade, offering a proper bow before straightening up again.

"Good, you're here." She hadn't quite been able to keep the grump from her voice, but at least the frown was gone from her lips. The twenty minutes they'd waited had been spent getting Kakashi's report on the training efforts he'd been putting her gaki through, and she had to admit that she was impressed with the progress that they'd made. Combined with the reports she'd already received from Maito Gai and Kurenai Yuhi, the strides Naruto had made in resisting Genjutsu and learning Taijutsu were almost excellent. A part of her was very disappointed in that, as much as she was loathe to admit it, for she really was looking for a way to castigate that silver-haired man for _something._

"Naruto, your sensei has already confirmed that he wanted to move on into Elemental training next, and I agree. But…taking this next step means that we will be utilizing your chakra more and that leaves us open to the danger that the Kyuubi might escape your control as it has a few times before." Tsunade was very matter of fact now, taking notice of the flush that ran over Naruto's cheeks as he remembered the way he'd attacked Jiraiya when he'd been taken over by the demon's cloak. And then again later, when Kakashi had had to use the seal the Sannin had provided to him to keep it from happening yet again. He nodded his understanding, his face miserable with the memory of what he'd almost done then.

"I've called Yamato in because he has a unique ability that can help control the Kyuubi should he get out of control while you're training. The captain is one of the few Shinobi in existence that can use the Wood-Style jutsu, and the Mokuton-style can be used to help suppress the demon."

She was deliberately leaving out that it was the necklace that would allow Yamato to do so, for revealing that tread far too close to the anti-disclosure law the Sandaime had put down on the books. It was enough that they'd all skirted this close to it for now, even if it had been unknowingly.

Leaning back in her chair, she looked over the three faces before her, taking in the understanding and obedience in Yamato's, and the unmistakable disappointment in her little otouto's. Tsunade had to hide her satisfied smile then, for she knew just what was causing that almost pout to appear on those full lips. _Naruto has gotten a little too used to it just being him and Kakashi out there on the training field._ The glee she felt at being able to throw a bit of a stone into that pool transmitted itself into a gleam in her eyes, and as her gaze came at last to Kakashi, Tsunade could see that the impassive-looking Jounin had figured all of that out already.

From his very lack of emotion she could tell that he'd already put that part of her reasoning together, and she was a wee bit disappointed to know that she wasn't going to get any rise out of him.

_Ah, well..._

Turning to look at Naruto, Tsunade gave him a brief smile. "Go wait outside, brat, while I talk to my Jounins. It will only take a moment." Just a moment to tell them about the necklace and how it functioned, and just why Kushina Uzumaki had been its previous owner.

Naruto wanted to refuse, but the look in his Baa-chan's eyes discouraged that, and the last thing he wanted to do was make her yell at him in front of Kakashi, so he acquiesced quietly and took himself from the room to go out and bother Shizune for a while. He figured it was enough that he knew if it was anything important his boyfriend would tell him about it later.

Yamato exchanged a glance with Kakashi at the blond's unnaturally quiet acceptance and the subdued way he'd walked from the room, but as usual the silver-haired man gave him nothing in return. That didn't mean that he hadn't caught the odd way that his senpai and Naruto had seemed to be so at ease with each other, and he frowned a bit as he tucked that away for later consideration. After all, long experience with the man that stood beside him had taught him better than trying to ask. One just didn't _ask_ Kakashi Hatake anything.

…KNKNKN…

Naruto eased his pack a little higher on his shoulder as he arrived at one of the farthest-flung training fields that the Village Hidden In The Leaves had. He was the first one here, it seemed, for there was no one else in sight as far as the sparsely treed plain extended on all sides of him. Patches of faded green marked the melting snow all the way to the distant tree line, and he squinted there, before dismissing a passing thought as silly. There was no way that he was going to see Kakashi come sauntering through those trees-the man would appear in an instant, with only the fluttering of leaves to mark his arrival-when he did show up.

As for Yamato-taichou…he just might already be here in hiding, planning on jumping out to give Naruto that scary, dead-eyed look again.

Shivering with fear, remembering the last time he'd seen that face, Naruto looked around with a bit more focus, stretching the slight chakra sensing ability that he and Kakashi had worked so hard at developing during their training sessions. When he didn't pick anything up, he sighed, and dropped his pack to a dry patch of ground. _All right then._ He thought, sitting down cross-legged beside it. _I might as well get comfortable while I wait._

Leaning back, Naruto gazed up at the sky above, relishing the true springtime heat of the day and the bright sunshine beaming down on him. Overhead, there were birds wheeling in the clouds, their cries lost in the distance between him and the sky they flew in, but he could easily imagine that they were enjoying the day, too. Freeing his thoughts to let them wander like the birds, Naruto lapsed into a pleasant stupor, his legs stretched out comfortably in front of him, a smile budding on his lips as he remembered the rest of yesterday.

After the meeting they'd walked through the streets, taking advantage of their last free day together before the new training started, and they were stuck with a chaperone. Naruto had been kind of indignant that his Baa-chan had done that, but he'd listened to his boyfriend's calm explanation and had to agree that they really needed Yamato there to help with the Kyuubi if it got out of control. The last thing Naruto would ever want to do was to hurt Kakashi, and if the captain could keep him from doing that in any way, then he should definitely be around for this.

Once he'd accepted that, they'd stopped their stroll in a little park in a residential section of the village where tidy walls separated houses that stood on great swathes of land, and the streets were quiet and calm without a soul in sight. Kakashi had settled himself on a bench, and Naruto had flung himself down on top of him, his head on his boyfriend's thigh and his legs draped over the low, wooden backrest. "We're not going to get to do too much of this now that Yamato-taichou is going to be with us." He'd pouted, looking up into that single, gleaming grey eye.

"We'll find a way." Kakashi had soothed him, stroking his fingers through Naruto's sunshine hair. "You know me…_right_?"

A delighted giggle of acknowledgement rang through the park at that, and Naruto had curled a little closer to the other man, his blue eyes asking for affection. "I think…" He'd said quietly, after he'd though about it some more. "That I know some about you, Kakashi, but certainly not everything." That lone grey had blinked slowly at him then, and Naruto had seen the understanding dawn in the visible part of the man's face.

"You're right about that, Naruto." Kakashi had said, his petting fingers stilling and then sliding lower to cup the nape of the younger man's neck. Lifting him into a sitting position, he'd regarded him with a very serious gaze. "I do know more about you than you do about me. Ask me whatever it is that you really want to know."

There'd been a flicker of self-doubt in Kakashi's smooth voice though, so Naruto knew just what it was costing this very private man to offer that. It was like an all-access pass to the Jounin's past…that history that he protected with his insouciant attitude and misdirecting words. But, he was thrilled that the other man was keeping up their agreement to be more honest with each other, and to save him the embarrassment of being looked at while he was talking, Naruto had tucked his head against Kakashi's shoulder and had stared out at the deserted park instead.

"Tell me about your team…the one whose picture you keep in your apartment." He'd asked, feeling the arm that had slid between his back and the bench tense a bit before relaxing. The stroke of a hand over his side had eased his fears that he'd asked for something too difficult for Kakashi to answer. And, when Naruto had heard the dry chuckle and felt the vibration of it where his ear was pressed to the silver-haired man's shoulder, he knew that it was going to be okay.

"Maa, Naruto…" His boyfriend had breathed. "Start with something easy why don't you?" But he had, after all of that, started to speak.

…KNKNKN…

"What are you thinking about, Naruto?"

That voice, soft and warm, and so much like the one that he'd been hearing in his head that it jerked a gasp from him, startled Naruto from his reverie and his eyes flew open to see the crouched form of his boyfriend right beside him. The man was smirking, that much was clear under the mask, and there was a glint in his eye that told him just how much the Jounin had enjoyed surprising him like that.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Naruto moaned, sitting back up to look at Kakashi more directly. "That's not very fair."

"Maa…" Kakashi came back, enjoying the flush of heat that rose on the golden skin and the way Naruto's blue eyes sparked with a hint of frustration. "Don't you know a Shinobi is always supposed to be on their guard?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto sighed, waving his hand in defeat. "I know, I know…_always prepared, _and whatever."

Kakashi caught the waving hand and drew it to his lips, ghosting a kiss over the knuckles through his mask before letting it go. He was too aware that his brown-haired comrade could appear at any moment. Tenzo-_Yamato_-was a competent and talented Shinobi, so for he and Naruto to have any private time at all they were going to have to be very sly about it.

"So, what were you thinking about when I startled you?" The Jounin repeated, redirecting his curiosity.

"About yesterday, and the things you told me." Impulsively, Naruto reached up to brush his fingertips across the metal plate of the other man's slanted hitai-ate, a smile curving his lips. "I was thinking about how tough it must have been for you to tell me all of that." There was so much sadness in what had happened to Obito and Rin, and what Kakashi had gone through as kid that Naruto had to blink hard to keep tears from swelling in his eyes. Instead he summoned a smile, giving the Jounin his happiness to brighten that burden and not add to it. "But, it made me very happy that you trusted me enough with the truth of your past."

The way his throat closed up on him as he took in the joyfulness in the teen's eyes reaffirmed Kakashi's suspicion that Naruto had wormed his way right into the very core of him. The warmth of affection and understanding in the younger man's face pulling him in as if this was the place that his heart was meant to be. And yet, at the same time, his heart felt as if it hung over a huge chasm of uncertainty for the other secrets that he harboured about Naruto, and Kakashi had to swallow hard around that lump in this throat to keep from blurting them all out.

_What he wouldn't give to be able to unburden himself of those secrets? To be able to give Naruto the knowledge of family and heritage, and the sense of belonging, that sharing those secrets would finally grant the blond. But the Third's Law explicitly forbid it._

Before he could even begin to mentally rail about that an incoming rush of air warned them both of Yamato's arrival and Kakashi had just enough time to stand before the other man appeared in front of him. "Yamato." He greeted him in his usual implacable monotone, secretly enjoying the look of absolute shock in those onyx eyes. Kakashi knew exactly what his younger comrade had been expecting and he kept the grin that wanted to break out firmly tucked away.

Beside him, he heard the rich sound of Naruto's laughter, and he knew the teen was expressing that amusement for the both of them. The knowledge that his blond knew him well enough to do that for him lightened his worried heart.

"You're late, Yamato-taichou!" Naruto crowed, interlacing his fingers behind the back of his head as he stood and stretched. "Kakashi-sensei and I have been here for _forever_!"

That bold claim did make Kakashi smile, so he reached over and rested his hand atop that mass of blond hair. "Naruto…" He drawled. "Don't go telling Yamato that, or you'll give him a complex, ne?"

Narrowing his dark eyes, Yamato stared at the two men in front of him, wondering just when his distant senpai had managed to become so close to the often-overwhelming blond. A little of the frustration he always felt around his older comrade spilled out then. "What are you doing here?" He asked, a finger pointed at Kakashi. "You are never on time for anything!" If there was a long-held grudge in that accusatory tone, it came to full fruition as the next sentence emerged. "Except if it's to get away without paying the bill-then you're always gone early!"

Having heard this conversation before, and knowing that nothing would ever come of it, Naruto interrupted before the captain could really get going. "So how is this going to work?" He asked expectantly, wanting to know what Yamato and Kakashi had talked about last night after his boyfriend left him at his apartment door. "You two got plans all made, or what?"

In response, he watched as the silver-haired man's long, elegant fingers dipped into a pocket in his vest and pulled out some fine paper squares. Flourishing them in a fan, he offered them out to Naruto.

"First we have to see what element you have an affinity for, Naruto. So we can figure out how to train you most effectively." Kakashi said, gazing down expectantly as the testing papers were drawn from his grasp.

Naruto's affinity for wind was obvious within seconds, the teen's huge reserves of chakra practically obliterating the other papers. Kakashi laughed in response. "So…wind it is…"

"That's a rare affinity, Naruto." Yamato added. "There aren't too many Shinobi who can claim that one. It mixes with and rebuffs the other elements much more strongly."

"Ehhh…" Naruto squinted at his captain. "What d'ya mean 'mixes with and rebuffs'?"

An amused glance came his way from his senpai right at that moment and Yamato hid his grimace. He kept forgetting that the blond learned better through 'doing' rather than 'hearing' but he squared his shoulders and created a stick on the end of his index finger to draw with and cleared a patch of dirt for a tablet. Making a very simplistic diagram, he explained complimentary and contrasting elements, and was rightfully satisfied at the end when Naruto seemed to understand it. '_See.'_ He arched a righteous look at Kakashi. '_I can get him to learn, too.'_

Nodding patiently, Kakashi took over for the next portion-a plan determined last night just before he fell asleep now given an early-but welcome, opportunity to play out. "So, Naruto….you know how Shadow Clones work, right?" He led with a simple question, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Well, yeah. I create a bunch of 'em, and they fight for me." The teen interjected.

"Yes." Kakashi replied patiently, resisting the urge to blanch as Naruto's obvious ignorance was confirmed. "But in all of the time you've been making them-and of the thousands that you've made-you've never noticed _anything_ else?"

The blank look that question got him made Kakashi want to drop his head down into his hands and sigh. Resisting that impulse, he spread his hands instead and began to explain, ignoring the _a-ha!_ look that came into Yamato's dark eyes as he shifted around to face Naruto and turn his back on the other Jounin. "The training we're embarking on with you usually takes any competent Shinobi six months to a year to even begin to master. But, because of your enormous chakra reserves and your ability to create clones, you're going to master it much more quickly than that."

Watching that nicely-muscled chest swell with pride, Kakashi gave Naruto an encouraging smile, knowing that Yamato couldn't see it from where he was standing. "This method won't work for anyone else, and it's because of the multitude of clones you can create."

Seeing that he wasn't quite getting through, Kakashi knew that now was the time for him to give Naruto that gift he'd decided on just last night. It was earlier than he'd anticipated, but this way he could teach the teen an essential use for his clones and show him just how much he, Kakashi, was falling for him more and more. "Clones can be used to gather information, Naruto." The silver-haired man said calmly, though his heart was beating harder within him. "Each time one disperses the knowledge it has gathered returns to the creator. Haven't you ever noticed that?"

"_Errr…_Nooo?" The teen replied, flashing him an apologetic smile.

Kakashi laughed, unable to help himself. "Okay then, here's what we're going to do. I'll make a clone and you make a clone and they'll run off over to the woods there." He said, pointing to the stand of pine trees that stood some distance away. "My clone is going to do something or say something to yours, and when they disperse, you'll see exactly what I mean."

Squinting in confusion at Kakashi, still unsure as to how this was all going to work, Naruto did as he was bidden and watched the two clones race off together, his own attempting to make a true contest of it, while the other clone waved his enthusiasm off with a single movement of his hand. _Boy, _he thought, seeing them about to disappear into the trees together. _It sure is weird seeing him and Kakashi from this angle._ His blue eyes were drawn to the silver-haired clone's lean figure as he moved away, and a bit of a flush of red came to his cheeks. _It was kind of exciting to have __**two**__ Kakashis around, though._

Moments passed, and Yamato noticed a new, odd kind of tension in the air surrounding the other two men. Keen onyx eyes moved from one to the other, trying to suss out what the reason could be for the weird feeling that was creeping over his skin. It wasn't unpleasant, just completely unexpected, and he wished that he had a better angle to watch the other two from.

From Kakashi there was expectation. His senpai's shoulders were held tightly, slightly slanted towards the distant trees as if the silver-haired Jounin were expecting something of great significance to come from there. Yamato glanced sharply at the treeline, wondering just what the older man had planned before sliding his gaze to that part of Naruto's face that he could see. The expression on the teen's made him frown, for those blue eyes were cast downwards and a bright blush decorated the tanned cheeks. The blond looked as if he were lost in his own thoughts, and Yamato could only conclude that the clones hadn't dispersed yet.

Settling back to wait, eager to discover what was making his senpai so demonstratively emotional, he was startled out of his thoughts when Naruto cried out in disbelief a few minutes later, staggered, and nearly fell. Only Kakashi's quick step and supporting hand caught the teen, and with the other, taller Jounin's back in between him and the blond, Yamato couldn't see _anything._

Sensing that something of great significance was going on without his knowledge, Yamato slid sideways, his dark eyes suspicious and bright. He managed to see the look of wonder and happiness on Naruto's face, and the gleam of joyful excitement in his blue eyes just before the teen noticed him watching him and all of those emotions subtly changed.

"Naruto?" He asked demandingly, frowning at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. The face behind the mask was composed though…_too composed_. "What was it? What did you learn?"

A smile came onto the teen's face then, all glinting white teeth and closed eyes, and Naruto's hands came up to weave together at the back of his head as he giggled aloud. "Oh, hey…Kakashi-sensei owes me all I can eat at Ichiraku's!" The blond crowed, rocking back on his heels with glee. "We played Rock Paper Scissors, and he _**lost**_!"

Yamato snorted his acceptance of the words. That wasn't the truth. That wasn't anything near the truth, but he knew he wasn't going to get anything past the impenetrable look on his senpai's face. "Fine then." Capitulating now was his only option, so Yamato did it with as much grace as he could muster. "Now that you know, make some clones." He ordered Naruto, his back stiffening with the unmistakable feeling of being left out of the loop once more. "And we'll get to splitting some leaves."

…KNKNKN…

The day passed quickly after that with the hundreds of blonds scattered over the field, each of them trying to figure out how to split the leaf first. As one would claim a bit of progress, it would disappear and Naruto would strengthen his technique some more. All the while Kakashi kept his eye on the teen, and Yamato sat cross-legged, utilizing his Mokuton to quell any outbreaks of red chakra that might occur.

By twilight though, two tired Shinobi sat by a fire, weary eyes drooping while the one that had cooked tended to the food. "That went very well today." Kakashi said, turning the rabbits he'd snared on their individual spits.

Yamato was near exhaustion, his chakra stretched by how often Naruto had pushed himself. He knew the teen had a lot of determination…but _really?!_ When the other Jounin handed him his food, he was able to eat half of it before the need to sleep dragged him under and he rolled away from the others to struggle into his bedroll, glad that he'd at least though ahead enough to construct this wooden shelter earlier in the day. Kami knew that he didn't have enough strength to do it right now.

"'Night." He murmured, and then faded right away.

For the next ten minutes the only sound in the rustically-simple little cottage was the click of teeth and the wet pop of chewing as Kakashi and Naruto finished their food. The silver-haired man eyed his boyfriend worriedly, wondering if the blond had enough strength left to talk about what he'd seen today. Certainly, he'd been the object of every clone's stare as he'd walked between them making gentle suggestions. So much so that he'd had to make sure to stay away from the first few ranks where Yamato might see their odd behaviour.

Now, though, his kohai was asleep. The deep, even breaths and the slowed heartbeat were clear evidence of Tenzo's unconscious state. Delicately clearing his throat, Kakashi was about to speak when the soft, incredulous tone of Naruto's murmuring voice slid over his ears.

"You showed me your face." Blue eyes rose to pierce his single one of grey over the light of the fire. "You pulled down your mask and showed me _your face._"

Kakashi could hear the want to yell those words out loud that was making the blond tremble where he sat, and he blessed the Kami that the teen had the forbearance to not do that. He knew that Naruto was exhausted and emotionally over-wrought with the secret that he'd shared with him today. A part of Kakashi was deeply worried that he'd done the wrong thing by picking this place for that revelation. That he might have pushed his love away by not picking a nicer, more intimate place where they could have had time to talk about it instead of being right in front of Yamato.

But, he'd done it that way to get it over with. And, he'd done it that way because he was afraid and…

A nearly indistinct sound brought his eyes back to Naruto and Kakashi saw that while he'd been absorbed by his doubts the teen had started crawling around the fire pit towards him. When the blond settled on his heels, Kakashi rose up into seiza to face him, tucking his heels under his behind as he gave all of his attention to Naruto.

Knowledgeable blue eyes stared up at him as Naruto slowly reached up. The look in his eyes was one of thoughtful consideration and wonder, and when he hooked his fingers into the edge of Kakashi's dark blue mask he waited, giving the Jounin plenty of time to deny him permission. But the gleam in a grey eye gave an affirmative, and he was carefully exposed to those searching eyes and to the flickering firelight, giving to the real Naruto something that had been given to a clone earlier in the day.

Looking over that noble face, searching for the right thing to say to Kakashi, he went with how he knew the silver-haired man must have felt. "You must have been scared, huh?" Naruto asked quietly. "Baring yourself like this and not knowing how I would react?"

"Aaa, yeah…" Kakashi murmured, surprised that Naruto knew him so well.

Calloused fingertips brushed beneath the scar that bisected his left eyebrow and cheek as Naruto pushed his hitai-ate higher on his head. Kakashi savoured that unaccustomed contact, leaning into the brush of those rough pads. "I had some concerns, yes."

"No fishlips." Naruto teased, still sliding seeking fingers over that revealed skin. "Or buckteeth, or a hare lip…in fact, you're pretty good looking."

_Good looking…_ It was an understatement that had chased around in Naruto's thoughts all day long. The perfect way to continually distract him as he tried to figure out how to split a leaf with his elemental chakra alone. With each dispersing clone, the glimpses of Kakashi's lean form stalking through his bushin would slide inside of him, renewing the fascination he had with the face that he'd seen in the woods, and every time the man even came close to him, his blue eyes would follow that body instead of concentrating on what he was doing with his hands.

Even now, the long straight nose and the thin, well-shaped lips that he was so familiar with the feel of drew his stare, and he slid his thumb over Kakashi's lower lip, shivering slightly as a warm tongue lapped briefly at the pad of it.

There was no one thing he could grab a hold of and say that he liked best, for Naruto liked all of it – all of Kakashi's "…quite beautiful face".

A low, warm chuckle came from Kakashi then, those quiet words and gentle touches weaving a spell of intimacy around the two of them that locked out Yamato's presence altogether. "I'm not so beautiful as you, Naruto." He replied hoarsely, catching one of those exploring hands to bring it to his lips to kiss. With great deliberation he nuzzled the thickened skin of the palm, and then kissed each knuckle, making the teen's breath catch fetchingly as he licked each roughened tip. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever known, inside and out."

Surging forwards, enticed by the words and the glimmer of wetness on the pads of his fingers, Naruto climbed onto Kakashi, straddling those neatly folded long legs. He fastened their lips together, fascinated anew that he could now see and find that delicious mouth as his boyfriend's arms closed around his lower back and pulled him in.

They lost time in that kiss and in the many that followed, and the Jounin was on the verge of lying that wanting body beneath his own on the floor when a snort from the man sleeping nearby broke both of them from the illusion of being alone together that they'd woven.

"Ohhh…_mmmm…_" Naruto whimpered, clutching the other man even tighter to him. They were on the edge of something else here, he just knew it. From the heat welling in his body and the aching hardness between his legs, he knew that just a few more moments and all of those feelings would have gone somewhere. _It was gonna happen - he knew it was, just like it had the other night._ He whimpered again at the feeling of loss, comforted only a little by the kisses that had their tongues stroking hungrily together.

"You know we can't, Naru." Kakashi murmured, feeling the knowledge of where they were very keenly at that moment. If not for the presence of the other Jounin, he'd have had all of that warm, golden skin on display beneath him, and Naruto would be discovering the true meaning of being devoured. He could only imagine the teen's response to that, and he had to stifle a distressed groan.

Maybe it was good that Tenzo was here. Maybe it was a stroke of good fortune that they weren't out here alone, for Kakashi couldn't stay under any misapprehension that he and Naruto wouldn't have come back from this training trip at a whole new level in their relationship. He released a long, pained sigh at the certainty of that knowledge and let go of that handful of taut, round bum he'd been kneading, spilling his protesting love back down onto the floor.

"You know we can't, love." Repeating it patiently, he bent over Naruto and kissed those full, red lips again, reveling in the taste of them one last time before pulling his mask back up to end their interlude. "Not here. Not now."

"But…_but…_" Naruto was achingly needy, so hard in his pants that the restriction of the fabric hurt him. He wanted to be spirited away by a Shunshin and treated to more of those kisses and caresses. He wanted Kakashi to not stop - and most embarrassingly of all - he wanted his boyfriend to do something, _damnit_, about the need burning inside of him, and he wanted him to do it right now!

Seeing the emotions about to come to a boil in the compact and oh, so desirable form of his love, Kakashi laid a quelling finger on a soft lower lip. Naruto pouted at him, but obeyed, and the older man had to fight back the need to bite that lovely lip back into place so he could claim that delicious mouth again. He shook himself mentally, demanding obedience from his own body as well.

"Think of something terrible, Naru. Like Sai kissing you, or Lee declaring that he can't live without you, or…" And here the Jounin did shudder for this was his own best anti-arousal technique.

"Or Maito Gai in an itsy-bitsy swimsuit." He said, holding out his hands to approximate the size of the fabric. Kakashi had seen that once, and no amount of meditation or medication had even been able to wipe it from his brain.

"The man shaves, Naruto." He whispered, his grey eye growing distressed. "_**Everywhere…**_"

"_Urggghhh! _Stop!" Pushing away from his boyfriend, Naruto sent him a glare. "I so did not wanna see that in my head!" Whining, he glared some more, feeling his body shrink back as the image bloomed in his brain. "Why on earth would he shave there?"

A grin split Kakashi's face under his mask as he saw that his words were having the desired effect. "For the unitard, obviously." There was a look of great amusement in his eye as he shrugged. "And because he says it makes him more sensitive."

For a minute Naruto's brain laboured under that added bit of explanation and then he leveled another accusatory glare at his boyfriend. "And how do you know that?!" He growled, his blue eyes sparking with a touch of anxious, incredulous, jealousy.

Kaksashi's grin spread further under his mask as he shrugged carelessly again, very pleased that the sexual tension between them had been successfully defused. "Gai talks way too much when he's drunk."

_Hmph'_ing under his breath, Naruto turned and crawled back to his bedroll, rearranging himself in it so that his face and Kakashi's would be closer together. He wasn't going to thank the man for getting rid of his hard-on for him, but he did understand why he'd done it. "All right." He sighed as he settled, tugging the cover around him. "G' night, then, 'Kashi."

"Good night, Naru. Sleep well." Banking the fire, the Jounin settled down as well, the points of his wild silver hair almost touching Naruto's soft golden strands. Closing his eye, he breathed deeply, bringing in the unmistakable scents of his love - of bright sunshine and warm fur that always surrounded his blond. Drawing in several more deep breaths, Kakashi eased his body towards sleep, for it was another day of training tomorrow, and another opportunity to get to know the one that he loved even better.

A smile lingered over his lips as he dropped off into that warm, restoring place, as he considered that today had gone very well, very well indeed.

**First, our apologies for the long time it took us to post this chapter. The end of the school year and personal troubles delayed us in getting this out to you in a more timely manner. **

**I hope that you like our latest update though, for it does mark another step forward in Kakashi and Naruto's relationship. They do have a bit of a chaperone now…but that won't stop the number one most unpredictable ninja and his brilliant boyfriend…now will it.?!**

**Don't forget to slide down to the bottom of the page and leave us a review. Your words really do stoke the urge to write some more, and we love all of the reviews that you've left us so far. Thanks so much for them. – K.E.K**

**Well everybody, here is the new chapter! I hope everybody had a better month of May then I did. I had many test and I stayed very busy, I've had some guilt problems also going on right now as well. Don't worry thought! Everything is getting better.**

**Make sure to leave us a review and go check out our other story on this account called **_**Smile, you empty soul**_**. It is a one-shot but I think everybody will love it. Make sure to review as well! Have a great month! – D.W**


	16. Chapter 16

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 16**

**The Thorn of Every Rose**

"_All the times that I've cried,_

_All that's wasted its inside._

_But I feel all this pain, stuffed it down_

_It's back again."_

_Outside- by Staind_

_The young Bear stood above the roofs of this suffering village that was a part of the Land of Grass. Alone, hidden, the wind blew through his long bark-colored hair as it brought the smell of vomit and blood from the poor buildings beneath him, almost overwhelming him with the odors of terror and of despair. 'Such a sad place', he thought, knowing that he'd come here to rescue a friend from the hands of those that knew Tzu only as a rebel. 'The Akatsuki really hasn't brought any hope to these people at all.'_

_Across the rooftops, stealthily striding as only a Shinobi could, Neji walked this crippled village with only had one thing in mind… __**how was he going to pull this off?**_

_As he reached the safety of an over-hanging eave, the young teen fell to one knee as his body threatened once again to give up on him. The edges of Neji's vision were starting to blur off and on, and the world seemed to spin around him like an out-of-control festival ride, and it was all that he felt he could do to hold on for the duration. _

_Covering his mouth to preserve his position, he began to cough heavily, the shudders wracking through his weakened body as he forced himself to stand in spite of the bout of disorientation. The blood he tasted over his tongue as he was coughing, coated the inside of his mouth and spattered over his lips. Looking down at his crimson-stained hand Neji knew he was in very deep trouble, but it was the kind of trouble that he couldn't spare a thought for…the kind that any Shinobi knew how to put to the side and ignore in favour of their mission__**… **_

_Neji—Bear- walked slowly over to the edge of the building then, the problems with his sight hindering him as he searched for the town square his unlikely ally had told him about. He looked for things that would mark some type of town meeting area—something that could pass for a gathering place or central marketplace- but sadly, he could see nothing. Lowering his body, the young ANBU rested his hands on his knees, battling silently within himself for he knew what he had to use, and he didn't want to. Neji wanted to save up as much chakra he could for the fight he knew was coming, but… _

_But if he didn't do this he knew Tzu would be __**killed…**_

_Neji stood tall and brought his fingers to his face as every muscle in his body screamed in pain; he knew what he had to do, and he knew the cost. Focusing his chakra to his eyes, he called upon his Kekkai Genkai to work… the gift that had been his insurance and kept him from being killed these last weeks__**. **_

_**BYAKUGAN! **_

_Sweeping the village, Neji used his ability to look for it, for Yami…for anything, but it couldn't last for his extra sight became a blur and he was forced to end it. Neji nearly collapsed once more, catching the side of the building as his breath started to come hard. "I can't believe… how little… chakra I have..." He gasped, clenching his fists, forcing his will to obey him and pushing forwards. There was no such thing as giving up—a certain blond had taught him that—and so Neji stood tall once again, the veins around his eyes bulging as he tried for a second time to find his friend. _

_Success!_

_He found the square-many people were leaving their homes and shops and walking there. Neji wasn't too far away from it, either, and with a boost of adrenaline from that small victory, he ran across the rooftops, so caught up he didn't see the weakened clay tile roof before he crashed through it. A low grunt escaped from him as he looked up at the sky through the hole, and Neji pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Okay…" He groaned. "Now, I have officially run out of ways to say… 'ouch'." _

_Kicking some of the debris off of his other leg, he looked around, ignoring the new pain in his lower back. Apparently he'd fallen into a kitchen, and an empty one, at that. 'No doubt they'd gone to the square with the others.' Neji thought to himself. Standing, a movement to his left drew his attention and he saw a small bottle of sake sway and then tip, pouring into the small flame of a burner that had come on. The abrupt flare of blue flame as the two mixed brought a smile to the ANBU's face._

_After that, it didn't take Neji long to get to the square, creeping in to spy down at the assembled crowd—about 300 faces watching as their so-called hero brought Tzu to the porch of the tallest building in the village. Neji took to a nearby roof knowing that he didn't stand a chance if it was a face-to-face fight, figuring that he would have more luck attacking from above. Perched just beyond the peak of the roof and peering down, he pushed his eyes to focus and realized that there were only two men that he needed to concern himself with—the one that he'd come to rescue, and the one that he'd come to kill. _

_Tzu was there with his hands tied behind his back and __**Yami…**__ Yami was there and he was the one that needed to die. Blocking out everything that black-cloaked bastard was saying to the crowd, moving impulsively but unable to stop himself, Neji drew his sword and leapt down for the kill. _

_With a speed far faster than Neji would have ever given him credit for, the Akatsuki member turned to face him, grabbing his wrist to stop the downward slash of the sword. As Neji's feet hit the ground he was pulled off balance with his right wrist caught by Yami, the black-clad man following through with his left hand to grab tightly at Neji's neck. With a display of incredible strength, Yami lifted Neji off of the ground with that single hand, cutting off his ability to breathe. _

_Choking, coughing, the young ANBU hung limply as the grip on his wrist increased to such unbearable pressure that he was forced to give up his sword and the distant clatter of it on the ground was but another ringing noise in his ears filled with the sound of his own blood. Yami smirked at him, then. "Did you really think I wouldn't be able to feel your weak chakra?" He sneered, dark eyes gleaming like hard obsidian._

_There was no doubt in Neji's mind that he had to do everything that he could in order to break free, and use every possible asset available to him. Playing 'dirty' wasn't dirty at all when it was a matter of life or death, and so he gathered up all of the saliva and blood in his mouth and spat it in the eyes of his enemy, blinding him temporarily and forcing him to release at least one of his holds on Neji to wipe it away. As his wrist came free he folded up both of his legs and pushed off of Yami's chest, twisting his hips agilely in a move that would have made Lee proud and ripped himself loose, executing a perfect spiraling back flip to land squarely on his feet, his hands coming down into the familiar pose of a Taijutsu block as he stared at his foe._

_Incredibly, around him, Neji heard the people that still lingered in the square begin to murmur amongst themselves—words of deprecation and more than a few outright 'boos'. His silvery eyes widened as he realized that these villagers still thought of the Akatsuki as heroes and __**saviours**_. _Even after all of this time and the abject poverty they so obviously still lingered in. _

_Tzu was undeniably right… these ignorant people had been so terrible misled__**….**_

_A low string of curses came from Yami as he drew one of his two battle axes and began to stalk towards Neji. "I don't give a fuck what Kakuzu says." Yami snarled at him, his voice rising in pitch as he grew angrier. "Nothing is worth keeping you alive, you pretty-boy bastard." _

_Glinting grey eyes flashed as Neji glared back at Yami, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he saw that his sword was now behind the other man and well out of his reach. There was no way that he was going to be able to get it, leaving him weaponless in front of a man that was a brutal, close-range fighter. The few kunai the Uchiha had scavenged for him and other things that he had found on his way were in his pouch but they would be of almost no use to him against that axe. Desperate fingers plucked one kunai from his pouch, Neji's only defense against Yami, and he held it at guard along his arm as his eyes dropped hungrily to the other axe strapped loosely at the man's waist. "If I could get to get his other axe." He thought, his heart speeding up at the idea. "Then, maybe…" _

_Acting as the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja might, Neji ran straight at Yami, his kunai deflecting that first awkward axe strike away from him as he drove in a punch that caught a chakra point just under the man's jaw. Jumping back, he anticipated the axe on the back swing aimed at his stomach, but the act was a feint, and instead the Akatsuki angled in and used his shoulder to knock Neji harshly back. The weakness that still pervaded his body betrayed him, and he fell easily to this, and as he tried to haul himself to his feet, the heavy, sandaled foot of the other man slammed into his cheek._

_Neji collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the sky as the dark, huge form of Yami came to stand over him, the glinting blade of that razor-sharp axe pulled back over his shoulder for the final blow. A part of the young ANBU refused to believe that this was the end, and he tried to gather the strength to move, to roll, to flinch…to do anything but the axe was describing a silver arc in the air and Neji had time for one more gulp before…_

_Wizened and wiry, Tzu's body slammed into Yami from behind, shoving the Akatsuki forwards several steps. In a single move so powerful and so quick it stole away Neji's breath, Yami used that momentum to leap up and spin in mid-air, driving his axe deep into the shoulder of Neji's friend, a triumphant shout of sick pleasure leaving him as he kicked the old man's falling body away from his blade. _

_Disbelieving silver eyes watched as Tzu's body slid across the ground, the shock of that ugly sight bringing strength back to a failing form. "__**Nooo…!**__" Neji screamed, snapping himself back to his feet and running towards the distracted black-clad man. Flinging himself into the air, he dropkicked that bastard, his foot slamming into his head as powerfully as his sensei had ever delivered one. Yami flew back and came up hard against one of the stone pillars that supported the roof of the porch Tzu had been on, stunned as his head rapped hard on the mortared granite. Quickly, desperately, Neji's fingers sought out the things in his pouch, and he threw them at the man he hated, the small bottles of sake exploding on thick, black hair and over that obscene red and black coat._

_Yami looked in confusion, his eyes darkening as he smelled the liquid running down over his face. An eyebrow cocked, as if to say 'is that all you've got?'. Thin, cruel lips drew down into a sneer as Neji followed through with a kunai, the small throwing knife veering off target to bury itself in the pillar beside Yami's head._

"_You missed." He laughed at Neji scornfully._

"_Did I?" The young Hyuuga responded softly, a look of vicious satisfaction on his bruised and battered face._

_The unmistakable smile of joy that curved up Neji's lips made Yami doubt his conviction, and the teen watched as the Akatsuki's eyes slid sideways to fasten on the kunai that he'd thrown into the pillar, and then widen as they caught sight of the explosive tag tied to it fluttering in the gentle breeze…_

…_KNKNKN…_

Days passed and Naruto improved his skills, all of his two hundred clones making progress in their leaf-splitting as Kakashi and Yamato watched over them. The silver-haired Jounin stalked amongst the assembled blonds every day, his eye always watching warily as he wound between the many copies, stopping to offer advice where needed. These were changed times indeed from what they had been, with so many eyes watching and measuring, and Kakashi found himself missing those days when it was just him and Naruto training all by themselves.

Yamato had made a pretty effective block in the path of their romance, and the small, quiet times they got to share together after the man had gone to sleep at night hadn't sated either of their needs. Particularly not Kakashi's.

He'd told himself that he was crazy for pining after it, but saying it didn't make it so, and he finally admitted on day three that he was yearning a little for the undivided attention that he used to have. Naruto wasn't chasing after him anymore. There were no focused, determined attempts to touch him, or pin him, or embrace him, and Kakashi would be damned before he'd say out loud just how much his ego ached for the reassurance of that pursuit.

_Stupid Jounin._ Chastising himself for his own foolishness didn't make him feel better…it only made him feel worse, for somehow Naruto's clones had gotten it in their heads that they should take up where their creator had left off.

So, on the other side of it, Kakashi was getting the groping of his life. Walking through the many Narutos meant hands where they shouldn't be, sliding over his ass and up the length of his back. He had the strong suspicion that it was only the presence of Yamato that kept them from mobbing him entirely.

Talking to Naruto about it at night after their companion had gone to sleep for the evening had proven to be useless. Despite the many conversations, the clones continued to touch, and his boyfriend had only shrugged his shoulders at him, reminding Kakashi that his clones had a mind of their own after all-no matter what he ordered them to do. That had continued until the day before yesterday, when an unoccupied hand had pinched his ass so hard he knew there'd be bruises…that clone had been dispersed with a rather vicious stab with a kunai, and things had definitely gotten quieter after that.

Now they were on their sixth day of leaf-splitting, and Yamato had already quelled three outbreaks of the demon's cloak. Whenever Kakashi circled back towards the front of the gathering, he could see the sweat pouring over his kohai's face, and he worried that the other Jounin was about to collapse on him. Drawing in a deep breath, the silver-haired man was about to declare an end to training for the day when one of the clones near the back suddenly gave out a triumphant shout that made every other blond head whip around to stare. "I DID IT! I DID IT!"

Kakashi's heart leapt in his chest at the sound of a joyful and familiar voice crowing out its success. Pushing forward he joined the other clones in gathering around the successful one, watching very proudly as it demonstrated just how it had achieved the goal they'd all been working so hard to do. "Good job." Kakashi said softly, hearing a groan behind him that made him turn to look. Yamato was laid out flat on the ground, his dark, shadowed eyes closed, and that made him smirk, and he looked back at the gathered clones as the real Naruto came to stand beside him.

"Pretty cool, huh, Kakashi?" Naruto asked softly, his lips turning up with a gleeful smile. He knew that Yamato was nearly insensate with relief at being released so that emboldened him enough that he sought out his boyfriend's hand amidst the crowd of, _well, _him. Twining their fingers together, he sighed with satisfaction, for he'd been missing being able to touch Kakashi so badly. "We did it."

All around them clones began to pop and _poof_ away, and that meant that the teen had to let go of the hand he'd just claimed. Memories and knowledge appeared in his head, and so he busied that twitching, empty hand by replicating the leaf splitting exercise that the clone had been able to do. A brilliant smile lit up his face as he succeeded right away, and he shared that beaming happiness with the man he'd fallen in love with, watching as Kakashi's face lit up in response.

"You know, Naruto." Kakashi murmured, his heart constricting tightly in his chest, his darkening grey eye fixed on that beautiful face. "I do love you so much."

Heat suffused his face at the softly spoken declaration and Naruto's heart raced so hard that he felt as if he'd just run all the way to the border with the Land of Wind as fast as he could. "Y-you…" Stuttering, shifting, he knew his face must be the colour of a ripe apple and the leaf that had been split in two on his palm exploded into a haze of tiny fragments.

_He knew how Kakashi felt, or…at least...he'd been kind of sure, but…_

_To actually hear it said out loud!?_

Naruto wanted to laugh and to scream and jump on his love and beg him to say it again, but he was too aware of the awake captain lying on the ground nearby, and so he shook himself and all of his energies came out in a disbelieving "_Ehhh…?!"_ Whirling around a bit, he took himself off, giving both him and Kakashi a break as he ran towards the forest. There were so many things that the teen wanted to do to his boyfriend in that moment that it was far safer for him to be by himself rather than give their relationship away.

Gazing after that retreating form, Kakashi gave a snort of admiration. Naruto really was growing up. The teen had figured out all on his own what was appropriate and what wasn't when they had such a witness, and he could feel the heat in his own cheeks as he responded to the thoughts of just what Naruto had really wanted to do.

"Hey, Yamato." Drawling, going back towards his comrade, he nudged him in the side with the toe of his sandal. "Maa, get up. You're going to live. We have to plan now for what we're going to do next." Kakashi gave the brown-haired man another nudge. "Come, I know you're not asleep, ne?"

One onyx eye opened and the man lying at his feet regarded him with a good deal of resentment. "What did you do to make Naruto take off like that?" The other Jounin asked, and Kakashi could hear the slight thread of suspicion in it.

Shrugging, he gave the only nonchalant answer that he thought would satisfy the other man's slightly untoward curiosity and keep him from asking more questions. "I told him I thought you were falling in love with him…" One grey eye peered downward, the smirk in it clearly visible as Kakashi pinned the younger man with his inquiring expression. _"Aren't you?"_

…KNKNKN…

Drifting back towards camp after another day spent with Asuma-sensei, Naruto felt his heart quicken as he looked forwards to seeing Kakashi again. For two days he'd been tutored by the bearded Jounin, for the man was another wind element like him. Trees in the forest had suffered for the lessons that the man had given him, but he'd finally been pronounced able enough to be released back to his other training team. And, back to the man that he really wanted to be spending his time with.

Asuma-sensei had suddenly been called away, but he'd left the scroll with his approval on it with the teen, so as he plodded back towards the small cottage he'd been sharing with his boyfriend and his captain, he called out to let them know that he was coming. "Oi! Kakashi-sensei? Yamato-taichou?"

Coming from his left, he heard his captain hail him, and he turned to look into the setting sun, shielding his eyes against the glare as the man came towards him holding a string of fish. "Hey, Yamato-taichou, where'd you get the fish?"

There wasn't a body of water around for quite a distance, Naruto knew, so he crinkled his brow as he saw the droplets darkening the ground beneath the shiny bodies.

"Why, from the waterfall over there." Yamato laughed at him, drawing Naruto's blue eyes up to look past the man. His eyes grew bigger then, widening comically as he took in the immense cliff and thundering falls that he'd…only…just…seen. "W-wow!" Shoving his hands into his pockets, he rocked backwards onto his heels, totally impressed by what he was seeing.

"I guess a few days of rest really did you some good, huh, Taichou?"

Yamato didn't respond, for he was too busy passing a measuring eye over the teenager standing in front of him. Naruto looked exactly like his senpai in that moment, the pose the blond had unconsciously taken up, one Kakashi was quite fond of when he was expressing the same emotion. He supposed it wasn't impossible that the younger man had picked up some of his teacher's habits, but…

A soft snort escaped him as he continued on past the still-staring Naruto. Yamato just added this newest bit to the puzzle that he was putting together in his mind as he set about getting a fire lit and those fish roasted. They were spitted and over the flame by the time the teen stirred himself to move and speak, and when Naruto flopped down on the ground beside him, he somehow wasn't surprised to hear that the first thing out of his mouth was a question.

"Sooo…where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto did his best to sound nonchalant as he asked the most important thing that came to his mind. "He's not here, huh?" His fingers curled into the fabric of his pants as he fidgeted and waited for the answer, for the last thing he wanted to hear was that the man had been sent out on a mission without him.

"A messenger came for him and he had to return to Konoha to see the Hokage." The brown-haired Jounin took a perverse kind of pleasure in giving Naruto the answer, carefully eying the blond for his reaction. There was no missing the petulant bottom lip that appeared briefly and then was tucked away, and when he added his other news, such a bright smile lit up Naruto's face that Yamato felt his lips twitch at the corners with a desire to echo the joyfulness of it. "But, he should be back tonight."

To the teen's credit, he hid it swiftly, a thoughtful expression masking the brief flash of joy that Yamato had seen, and he added that piece to the pile he was assembling in his mind.

Supper consisted of fish, and ready-to-eat rations, for Yamato hadn't been nearly as dedicated in finding them foodstuffs in the woods to eat as Kakashi was, but Naruto didn't mind for one of the meals was primarily made with ramen noodles. He scarfed that down along with his fish, blue eyes scanning the landscape at odd intervals as darkness came on full bore, holding out hope that there would be a sudden explosion of leaves, and the silver-haired man would just appear. When the full chill of the January night came upon them, both he and Yamato retreated to the small cabin, lighting the wood in the fire pit, the two of them taking to the their bedrolls as they relaxed towards sleep.

As much as Naruto had wanted to remain awake in case Kakashi should return, it wasn't long before he was lost to his exhaustion, sprawled wide upon his blanket, his raucous snore rising to the ceiling. Across the fire, his companion lay awake on his side of the cabin, black eyes staring in resentment at that same ceiling as all of his senses were bombarded. Thus, it was Yamato that was awake when Kakashi finally did come back, and he was lying on his side, going over their training plans in lieu of trying to rest while Typhoon Naruto roared.

"Senpai." The brown-haired man spoke quietly, nodding at his comrade as he let the scroll he'd been reading roll closed.

"Tenzo." Kakashi closed the door behind him, shrugging off the weapons vest he'd begun to unzip as he stepped over the threshold. "Anything to report?" He was having a very hard time resisting just running his gaze over that limply spread blond nearby, and keeping the tension out of his frame so that his comrade wouldn't pick up on it.

"Asuma-san is done training Naruto." Yamato replied, frowning at the other man for the use of his ANBU name. He was ignored as he'd known he'd be, so he carried on. "He sent his report back with the teenager today, and it is generally favourable."

"Good." Sighing, the lean, older man dropped down cross-legged onto his bedroll, leaning back onto his hands, his gaze still fixed upon his comrade as he stretched himself out. "Tsunade had some disturbing news about the Land of Grass, and some intel that wasn't promising." A downturn of his lips shared the general negative nature of that information and Yamato responded with a mirroring grimace.

"Aaa." He said, dropping back to lie on his blanket, too. "Perhaps we should talk about this tomorrow?"

"Aaa…"

Silence reigned between them then as the fire slowly died, the two men lost in their own thoughts and emotions as they each considered what was going on outside of this small building. In the end, it was Yamato that dropped off to sleep first, leaving Kakashi to roll over on his side to contemplate the beautiful, snoring mess that was his blond. An eager, affectionate perusal that made the happy glow return to Kakashi's heart once more. Reaching out, he sought an out-flung hand, curling his own gloved one into it, a very satisfied smirk appearing under his mask as those golden fingers clutched tightly onto his own.

"I missed you, too, Naruto." The Jounin whispered softly, minding the other Shinobi in the room. _It was kind of silly just how long those two days had seemed…_

…KNKNKN…

The waterfall days passed quickly, unseasonably warm January days giving away to the definite promise of spring in February. Quite quickly their training field melted and firmed, and green grass appeared to cover the old winter-yellowed surface. Buds swelled on the trees in the forest nearby, and eventually burst into a green so soft the newly-born leaves looked as if they would be velvety to the touch.

In this early and impromptu spring, all three of the men went about their individual duties, which meant that Kakashi, who had none, laid about on a bench that Yamato had made for him reading his book while the others worked.

That inactivity lasted about a week though, before the silver-haired Jounin grew too antsy to keep up his slothful ways, and he decided to keep training Naruto in Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, just like he had before.

Most days that involved stealing away a clone to train and to fight with, giving his Naruto the memories of their sparring at the end of the day when training halted. On a rare occasion he was lucky to steal the real teen right out from under Yamato's nose and leave a complete row of clones up there upon the branch of the tree…and those days were quite different from the others.

"I don't understand." Naruto panted as he lay beneath the body of his boyfriend, boneless limbs flopped over the warm ground. "You won't kiss a clone? Why?" It wasn't as if Naruto wasn't going to feel it when the clone dispersed…Kakashi himself had taught him that lesson after all. "Then we could be together more often than this."

"Maa, Naruto…" Kakashi rolled over and collapsed to the ground, his breath coming just as hard as his boyfriend's. "I've told you before, it's just not the same thing as you. _They're not real…and you __**are**_."

Full lips fell naturally into a pout, but the blond was just too tired to maintain it, and Naruto fell back to panting as he recovered from the intense sparring they'd just finished. Kakashi had put him under three different Genjutsu, the intensity of them growing with each one until the last one had seemed to go on for _hours_ even though it had only been minutes. Lying there, he could feel the unease of the Kyuubi inside of him, and he pressed a hand to his seal as he remembered just how the demon had responded to seeing Sasuke inside their inner world.

"The Kyuubi doesn't much like the Genjutsu training, 'Kashi." Naruto murmured, finally finding enough strength to prop himself up on his elbows and look over at his companion's profile. "He gets all squirmy inside of me whenever I have a hard time breaking out of it."

The soft murmur of Kakashi's voice reached back to him, but the Jounin didn't really say anything beyond an _'I figured as much', _before that single grey eye closed as the man's breathing finally began to slow. Naruto stared at the man, fascinated by the movement of his boyfriend's open mouth beneath the mask, for he could see those lips quirking and twitching…the slither of the dark blue fabric drawing his eyes right there.

A single, lithe movement of his hips had Naruto on top of the other man, his behind settling over hard pelvic bones as he leaned over Kakashi, his hands on the Jounin's broad shoulders. "Hey." He said quietly, soft blue eyes roving over that half-covered face, leaning a bit closer. "Can I?"

Kakashi nodded, unable to deny Naruto anything like this. The teen probably hadn't even realized just where he'd placed his rear, but there was more than just bone and muscle under his standard-issue navy pants, and that part of his anatomy was growing more and more interested in the way the blond kept shifting over him.

"Kami, Naruto." Hissing, the Jounin shook his head negatively to the question rising inside the safety of his own head. _Of course he didn't mind…precious moments like these were few and far between now. _But this was a kind of torture Kakashi was beginning to be all too painfully familiar with, for Naruto's innocence was remarkably pure of any other agenda. "Yes, you may." And a lop-sided smile greeted his boyfriend as grimy fingers pulled his mask down.

Without any hesitation, warm, eager lips were placed against his own, and Kakashi's hands rose of their own volition to rest on firm hips, his fingers clenching lightly over those dark trousers. He let the teen control the exchange, giving the pace and the intensity of their kiss to Naruto to let the teen explore just how hungry he was for this.

Apparently…he was good and hungry, for the tentative, initial dip of a seeking tongue into the Jounin's mouth fast became a real devouring, and Kakashi just as quickly became breathless again as the younger man showed him just how much he'd learned about kissing since they'd started seeing each other. "_Kami, Naruto…" _This time the hiss was heated, an exhalation of the desire that was fanning through his body as that taut, round ass rocked over Kakashi's groin, encouraging things to grow and swell and twitch in just the right way.

Soon enough the teen was going to feel just what he was doing to him, for there was a limit to just how long even a man with an impressive will like Kakashi could restrain his physical reaction. _Just so long…_

Naruto had hungered so long for a chance to be with his boyfriend like this. The small moments they'd been able to have since Yamato had joined their training team had only fed his desire to have more and more time alone with this man. Now, to have him here, under him, and at his mercy? A deep and delighted sigh escaped him as Kakashi's tongue stroked over his, and his fingers curled even tighter into the older man's vest. "_Mmm…'Kashi…"_

The shiver that went through Naruto was like small flickers of lightning scraping under his skin, and he arched back reflexively, and startled with surprise when his rear met something

…_something…_

Realization shot through Naruto like a senbon needle right to the brain and for a moment his whole body froze as he took in the idea that Kakashi too became _that _aroused by what they were doing together. He knew that he should be freaked out a little by that thought, and by the presence of that—that growing _err_ lump under his butt—but he really wasn't.

It was really…kinda…_hot._

A bright, heated flush rose higher in his cheeks as he dared to look down at his boyfriend and he was instantly embarrassed by the whine that escaped him then. Kakashi was so utterly sexy laying there, the hot flush of colour in his pale cheeks, and the glint of razor-sharp want in that single shining eye. Naruto's stomach clenched hard to see it, and to see all of that want directed at him, the pool of liquid heat in his groin quivered and grew, flooding all of his body where he was perched over the Jounin's lean hips. "Oh…"

Soft and low, his own voice trembling in his ears with sighs, Naruto bent back to what he'd been doing, and kissed Kakashi again, his lips touching to his love's with a sweet shyness now that he understood. It was a kiss that was slow and deep, the tenderness in it sweeping through every muscle that he had. When the urge to slide back over that hardness trapped under him shivered up his spine, Naruto didn't resist it, but gave into it, the darkness in his blue eyes as he opened them to gaze at his boyfriend making that single grey eye widen.

Long, pale fingers tightened on those squirming hips as Naruto looked down at him, and Kakashi felt himself needing to give up and just get lost in those wanting eyes. It was a wild, stray thought, and so out of line with the way that he'd always tried to be in control when he was with the younger man that he had to groan, and recognize just how much he wanted to give up that iron control to the knowable future and allow himself to sink into what he knew would happen.

_Maybe it was time to trust that Naruto knew what he wanted, and that the teen realized just what he was doing. Maybe it was the right time and place to let the young man direct what they both wanted to do. _ With that thought so easily over-riding all of his earlier caution, Kakashi gave into his desire and tipped his head back and folded up his knees, planting both feet firmly into the softly yielding surface of the forest floor. Arching his back to bring his groin more fully into contact with that amazingly gorgeous rear end, he gave out a low and thrilling groan as Naruto rutted so guilelessly against him.

The arousal that rose through Kakashi like hot, thick syrup was allowed to spread, and he didn't try to contain it behind his thinking mind as he had all the other times he and his beautiful blond had gotten this close. Out here in the forest, the spring breeze cooling the flush of sweat from his skin even as it appeared, there was nothing to constrain the need that had been a part of Kakashi from their very first kiss. Panting, gasping, he pressed up into every one of those hungry, inexperienced grinds, his hands pressing Naruto back and back until they lined up just right…

Heat shot through Naruto, locking up his back as the bulge that he'd been rubbing himself against was suddenly in just the right place to press hard against his own. Whatever was left of his brain was gibbering right now, blathering on about erections and how he was just shamelessly humping himself all over his teacher's really kinda big one, and even as he blushed to know what he was doing to Kakashi, and _thinking_ about Kakashi, there was **no way** that was ever gonna make him _stop_

Up and up the heat within him spiraled, and the coil in his belly tightened so hard he feared he would burst. Naruto remembered this from last time, when his arousal had overtaken him so unexpectedly on New Year's Eve. This time he knew what it was though, and how it was happening, and the wonder of doing it together with the man that he loved made his blood hum as it rushed madly through his veins.

"'Kashi…" He whimpered, blue eyes flickering open halfway, thick, golden lashes around dazed, clouded dark jewels. "'Kashi, please…"

_No…no thinking. No pondering…no, no wondering if this should stop…just, just…_

Elegant, long-fingered hands closed over slim, muscular hips so hard Kakashi knew he might bruise that tanned skin. But, he couldn't care when they were so close together, and the need to come was overwhelming all of his logic. It was there in the way that his blond whined for him. There in the soft, harsh breaths that he was forcing through his nose, and as that hot, round ass pushed down so demandingly again and again against the angle of his pelvis, it was there in the rising ache in his own arching groin. How could there be anything else that Kakashi could do, but do this with his Naruto, with the one that he loved and desired above all others, and he gave into it with a harsh, coughing grunt of desperate need.

Their powerful peaks ripped through the both of them, and they arched and cried out together as heat flared and steamed and exploded between them, and their combined plaintive cries rose into the budding canopy above them to startle a flight of birds. Kakashi clutched at Naruto, long arms winding up around the teen's waist to pull him down against his shivering body, sharing the aftermath of this first time together as their shudders worked through the both of them. "_Kami, love…Kami." _He whispered, blindly finding that sweet, open mouth and devouring it desperately. "You are so damned beautiful!"

A single, powerful motion rolled them both, and Kakahi pinned his love beneath him, cradling Naruto tightly to him as he kissed him repeatedly. For long, intensely sweet minutes, there were just the drugging kisses, and the slowing thump of their heartbeats. The silver-haired man inhaled each of those breaths as his love gave them to him, sipping at their sweetness as their mouths melded together, this lingering delicate moment reassuring them both of their love.

As his mind returned to the state of his body, Kakashi sighed his satisfaction, his hands coming up from where they'd been caressing small circles into the teen's restlessly quivering hips to cup Naruto's lovely, flushed face. Running his thumbs over those remarkable scars, he gazed into shyly averted eyes, and couldn't hold back the triumphant and adoring laughter that began to shake through his form.

"Kami damn it, Naruto, you really are so unpredictable."

Abashment faded in the face of Kakashi's mirth, and at first Naruto was inclined to be mad at the other man for finding humour in this awkward situation, but he couldn't resist joining him as the mutually evident dampness began to spread between both of their bodies. _Damn._ Naruto groaned at the weirdness of the moment, and collapsed against his boyfriend, tucking his nose into the man's neck to hide there as Kakashi kept on chuckling. "So tell me." He heard that warm tenor voice say, the silky, sensual tone of it sliding over sensitized nerves. "Just how do you propose we explain to Yamato how we came to look like this?"

…KNKNKN…

An unexpected shriek of excited, high-pitched laughter completely destroyed Yamato's concentration where he sat within the circle of his constructs. His palm wavered in mid-air, and then dropped as his dark eyes were caught by the sight of Naruto speeding past, the boy nothing more than an orange and black streak as he headed for the waterfall at an incredible pace. Jaw dropping at the sight, Yamato wondered just what in the hell his senpai had been doing with the clone to make it run back towards its creator at that speed instead of just dispersing, when the silver-haired Jounin himself appeared and suddenly there was a huge explosion of water.

"Holy Kami!" Breathing out a rather shocked exhalation of disbelief, Yamato watched as the plume of water grew ever higher, covering the row of clones and the original Naruto behind a veil of liquid that surged on upwards until, before his gaping eyes, it began its inevitable journey back to earth, the hard-edged patter of it hitting the ground accompanied by the unmistakable metallic _poofs _of dispersing clones.

The soft, warm breeze that came his way drew a gentle spray of the imploding water spout over Yamato's sweating face, and he sighed as he released his Dojutsu and allowed himself to ease backwards, relaxing his tense muscles as he waited for the last of that mist to fall. Out of the lessening grey a tall figure condensed and the lean, elegant form of his senpai strode towards him. Kakashi was soaked through, the man's usually forthright hair hanging down around that hidden face in a manner that made even Yamato's female-oriented hormones sit up and take notice.

_Damn but the man was hot!_ He thought, shaking his head a little sadly as he admitted the truth of that observation to himself. _It was no wonder the man had such a tremendous reputation._ "Half of them want to kill you." Yamato laughed under his breath as those long powerful legs brought the man closer. "And the other half wants to fuck you."

"Maa, Tenzou…what was that?" Kakashi's voice was light with the satisfaction he was feeling that his plan had worked. _When all of you was wet there was no noticing the part that _shouldn't _be. _And besides, it did feel good to be clean there again. "Did you say something?"

The slight pink tint that coloured his kohai's cheeks gave away the inappropriateness of Tenzou's thoughts and that made Kakashi smirk, his single exposed eye curving up in a mocking smile. "Ah," his smirk widened. "I'd say that today's training is over, wouldn't you?" He and Naruto definitely needed to get changed, and a quick glance out of the corner of his eye caught the teen just climbing out of the deep pool beneath the waterfall and heading over towards them. "Would you be so kind as to light a fire for us so that we can dry out?"

Yamato swore under his breath as he rose to comply, glaring back at his sodden superior as the younger man finally reached them. Naruto was laughing too, that incredibly infectious giggle of his that made the brown-haired Jounin smile in spite of his resentment. "Now I know why the other half wants to kill you." Yamato whispered, pushing past the beaming teen to gather up an armful of their piled firewood. _The man could be so irritating sometimes._

-KNKNKN-

Two weeks passed with Naruto making no real progress on splitting the waterfall, but the teen kept trying, every day, all day, keeping those blue eyes focused on the tumbling water and concentrating all of his chakra into making that liquid part. Yamato, for one, was impressed by the young man's dedication, and he sat there, too, every day, all day and made sure that they didn't pay too high of a price for Naruto's determination.

But. whether the Kyuubi wasn't in the mood, or the teen had found a way around it, the demon's cloak rarely made an appearance. That gave the borrowed ANBU plenty of time to do some thinking, and the favoured subject of late had been his senpai, and the hidden things he was sensing between that man and the blond teenager that they'd come here to train.

For the last few weeks he'd been watching his comrade and Naruto. At first subconsciously…his mind like any well-trained Shinobi's taking in the nuances and the underlying meanings of words and gestures, and later, with purpose…Yamato deliberately watching for clues in the two mens' physical and verbal interactions. It was easy now to see that something was going on, for Naruto was drawn to Kakashi's side no matter what the older man was doing, those blue eyes always seeking the masked visage whenever they had an opportunity to so. It was if the teen was always correcting himself; checking a glance, or hiding an aborted touch.

The silver-haired Jounin was much harder to read, but Yamato had some expertise when it came to his senpai's non-verbal cues, and he'd worked out just how protective Kakashi was of the boy—not only of his person, but of his heart as well. There was no time that Naruto fell that Kakashi wasn't there to catch him, and no hurt that the man didn't try to shield the teen from if he thought it served no purpose towards his learning.

Two days ago the other Jounin had expressed a small concern about the Genjutsu training, and he'd asked Yamato if he'd noticed an increase in the appearance of the demon's cloak over Naruto or any of the clones at the waterfall. A satisfied grunt had escaped Kakashi when he'd said that he hadn't, but Yamato hadn't missed the anxious look in that single eye.

He wondered now how the older man was doing with the clone he'd taken to the woods this morning, and a cautious onyx eye scoured over the teen and his coterie of clones up upon that thick branch, examining them for any hint of a telltale red glow. _What had Kakashi so worried?_ Yamato wondered, unable to shake the feeling that he should be worried, too. _What wasn't the man telling him?_

_Secrets…more secrets, damn it._

…KNKNKN…

How their training sessions all seemed to evolve into a grope fest baffled Kakashi. Well, to be truthful, it didn't really baffle him so much as distress him a little. Whenever he could steal away the real Naruto for practice, the teen immediately wanted to touch him-_more than touch him—_and their spars together had quickly become just what he'd been so pitiably missing from before. Those tanned, quick hands sought to touch and to caress, and tumble Kakashi down upon the grass again when the younger man should be taking this part of his training more seriously.

Several times in the last few weeks, Kakashi had noticed things happening during their Genjutsu training that had made the fine hairs all over his body stand on end in cautious recognition. Pushing Naruto day after day to replicate that feeling and get to the bottom of it had sometimes been at odds with the amorous pursuits the blond had taken up now that they'd shared their own private moment together.

Today hadn't turned out too much differently. Careful planning and a big dose of Naruto-luck had let them get away with leaving Yamato with a branch full of clones yet again, but the moment that they'd made it into the woods, he'd been ruthlessly attacked and his mask pulled down, and there hadn't been anything Kakashi could have done to deny that demanding teen his lips.

_Not, of course, that he'd really tried._

Good morning kisses were lovely and all, but the tension growing within the Jounin over the changes he'd noticed in their Genjutsu training had him substituting himself out from under the too-tempting blond the first time Naruto had run out of breath, and a spread of kunai had reminded the teen that _this_ was what they were really here to do.

So he'd dealt with the pouting and then got down to work, placing Naruto under several Genjutsu that he'd devised as they fought together. The younger man had been able to break his way free of them, but again, Kakashi had noticed a sinking feeling within himself each time…as if his chakra were caught in quicksand and it was being pulled down and away from him, out of his body. An instinctive tightness in his gut warned him that this might be what he'd been seeking—that he was near to discovering the key that would allow him into the seal as the Uchiha had been-and so he kept on working on it, even though his chakra reserves were running low.

Frustratingly, by the mid-afternoon, Kakashi still hadn't gotten any closer to finding his way in, and though he was grateful that all of this training had made his love better at resisting the Sharingan, he knew that this was the most important step that he had to achieve. Despite all of his efforts, he'd only increased that sinking feeling by a fraction, and that clearly wasn't enough.

Collapsing onto his behind after one last burst of strength, he glanced over at the sprawled teen, watching that firm, strong chest rise and fall with the rapid breaths of near-exhaustion. "Ne, Naruto." Kakashi breathed, resting back on his hands with his legs outstretched before him. "You've done good today."

And the Jounin just hadn't done good enough.

Tipping his head back, he let the vision of the soft green leaves over his head fill his eye before it slid shut, and he relished the feeling of warm air over skin that didn't too often get exposed to the sun. So long as the blond didn't succeed at his task of splitting the water, he had time to get this done, he knew, but Kakashi was well aware of just who was lying beside him. He was too well acquainted with his boyfriend's habit of rapidly attaining the impossible, so he wasn't betting on there being that much more time at all. Naruto was all too successful at being surprising.

Movements from beside him didn't warrant him opening his eye to look and so it was still closed as a squirming, warm form settled itself over his legs. "Ne, Kakashi?" The silver-haired man heard. "Just how well _did_ I do today?"

There was something in that husky voice that made his lower belly tighten and all of his nerves start to sing, and a curious grey eye cracked open to see what would be a coy look on anyone else's face peering down at him suggestively. On his beautifully naïve boyfriend it was absolutely adorable, brightening those sky blue eyes and taking away Kakashi's breath even as Naruto leaned in for a kiss. "Do I get a reward?" The teen asked, trying now for seductive.

"When have I ever denied you a reward for a job well done, Naru?" The older man husked back, his grey eye gleaming with hunger, showing his love just how seductive was done with a slow curl of his lips and a carefully slanted eyebrow. "Don't I always give you a prize?"

Kakashi's prize was the sweet flush that rose in those golden cheeks, and the look of want that darkened Naruto's eyes to the colour of a summer afternoon sky, casting that beautiful face in such a fetching way that he rolled them both over, to pin that wonderfully wriggling form beneath him so that the dappled sun shone directly down upon that wanting face. "Maa, Naruto, you're so very lovely like this." The Jounin said softly, leaning in for a kiss that left them both panting. His hungry gaze took in the look of love and trust in those wide open eyes, and Kakashi wished that he could always remember this moment in its sweet perfection, just as it was now.

Inquisitive fingers were wriggling in between them, searching for the zipper of his vest. With a slight, indulgent sigh, he arched upwards and allowed Naruto to open it, craving the feeling of those warm hands over his skin just as much as he craved to touch the golden skin of the young man beneath him in return. The first brush of calloused skin over his stomach made Kakashi hiss with approval, and he urged further exploration by leaning in to kiss softly swollen lips again.

As those hands wandered and gained courage, Kakashi was riveted by the changing expressions on that lovely, motile face, and he stared down at Naruto and let himself be caught by them, enchanted by the flush of that tanned skin and the sparkle of dark blue eyes. The dart of a tongue over rosy lips made Kakashi's belly clench harder and he couldn't regret the moan that gave his obsession away, as he pressed his hips down onto those rolling ones under him.

There was no conscious decision to do it. No thought of having this memory and keeping it with him forever, for in the pause between his thoughts his left eye was closed and then it was open, the tomoe swirling slowly upon the crimson iris within. Unprepared, unaware, they were both taken by surprise when those wanting blue eyes were captured by it, and the in-drawn breaths that marked that awakening was the last thing that Kakashi heard before the quicksand was sucking at him pulling at him…

…his chakra weighed down and weighing him down as he fell through

that warm body and the earth and…

and down…

…KNKNKN…

The smell of damp mortar assaulted Kakashi's sensitive nose as his grey eye opened to the vision of a curving brick wall. Instantly the hairs on the back of his neck bristled, and goosebumps marched their way under his uniform in a dazzling realization. _He'd done it._ The knowledge was both energizing and terrifying, and as he took selfish seconds to orient himself and take in the input all of his senses were delivering, Kakashi knew a vast regret that it had to happen while they'd both been so vulnerable to each other.

The distant scrape of metal on stone, and the quickening drip of water into the vast, ankle-deep wash he stood in, drew his attention down the corridor to his left and he straightened his shoulders, drawing his resolve up his spine, and set off in that direction, the water making no noise as he moved his feet carefully through it.

A vast set of doors hung open at the end of that corridor, and the warm scent of fur that he'd smelled on Naruto so often came to cover the mouldering odour of long-damp bricks. Inhaling, Kakashi had doubt as to where he was…that his footsteps had taken him through the spiraling hallways of the seal and right to the very heart of it. As he eased between the doors, his body still and silent as he moved, he caught a glimpse of Naruto, his orange and black clad love standing in the middle of a big, mist-wreathed room, his hand scratching at the back of his neck in his cutest variation on befuddlement.

"No clue why I'm here." Kakashi heard him say as he came up behind him, and his grey eye widened as he realized that Naruto hadn't quite figured out what had happened. A slight cough announced his presence…a slide of cloth and a slight sigh…all to ensure that his blond didn't jump out of his skin. "I'm afraid that that's my fault, Naruto." He said softly. "My left eye was open and…"

The sudden low and ground-shaking growl that vibrated through the air around him drew Kakashi's gaze to the enormous wall of bars that bound the whole end of the chamber, and prickles of fearful anticipation abruptly supplanted the goosebumps he'd suffered from earlier. Great red eyes opened, the shadowy form of the Kyuubi like a nightmare emerging out of the dark depths of the cage, and for the first time since the attack on Konoha, Kakashi saw the huge nine-tailed demon that was imprisoned within the one that he loved.

"Naruto…" He breathed out, the warnings of danger sparking overtime in a body trained to immediately recognize hazards far more subtle than this one. Immediate instinctive reactions had him shutting his own eye and opening the one of swirling red and black. "_Holy Kami_."

The act of reaching out was an unconscious one, but in that moment, with the immensity of a cruelly gaping, savage-toothed jaw before him, Kakashi did what his whole body was screaming at him to do and wrapped an arm around the teen's slim shoulders to draw him under his protection, the hard gulp of air down his throat as he took in the demon leering at them both through the bars of that entirely too-insubstantial looking cage. "Kyuubi-sama." The honourific breathed out on harshly exhaled air; how well Kakashi remembered those times when he'd greeted the kitsune through the seal on Naruto's flat belly, and the naivete of those moments galled at him now.

_This was what he'd been charged with doing. This had been the end goal of their training and their sparring together. That he had only achieved it when they were both so at ease gave the Jounin good reason to believe that they'd succeeded in their goal of making it that much more difficult for the Kyuubi to be influenced by the Sharingan, and that part at least…satisfied him but…_

Standing tall, Kakashi gathered himself, easing the hold he had on the teen's shoulders as he looked directly at the demon, showing it that he had no fear of it now. "My apologies, Kyuubi-sama." He declared loudly, his voice more polite and formal than it had ever been before. Hearing Naruto exhale in amazement beside him, the shifting of that compact form as the younger man turned towards him, demonstrated just how unusual it was for him to be so perfectly polite. Kakashi, however, was channeling just a bit of the too-rigid boy he'd once been and didn't take his eyes from those hot crimson ones glaring down at them.

"We have been training so that an incursion like the one that happened with the Uchiha boy could not happen again. We apologize for intruding."

The low rumble that had been building deep behind his ribs was quelled as Kurama looked down at the men standing in the watery depths of his prison. The demon couldn't remember the last time anyone had been this polite with him, not since the time of the Rikudo Sennin anyways. It set him back a bit from his resentment and he hated that, and he glared at the silver-haired Jounin, ire rising within him for the impudence of the man. The snarl that escaped him this time was unmatched for its ferocity and he spat out his fury at being so unsettled.

"Pitiful brat!" He snarled, pressing his muzzle as close to the bars of the chakra cage as he was able. "Sorry excuse! What do you want here!"

Kakashi drew back a step as that wet, meaty-smelling breath descended upon them, drawing his love with him. He was just about to reply when Naruto pulled himself free and stalked forwards, planting his hands on his hips as he took up a stance in front of the enormous cage. "Stupid demon!" The teen huffed. "Kakashi has already told you what happened…you don't have to be so…so _**rude**_!"

Slitted crimson eyes widened at he stared down at the blond pest that served as his container now, and the huff of enraged breath that emerged from the demon's powerful chest blew back both of the men's hair with the sheer force of its exhalation. "_**Rude?!**_" Kurama roared back, throwing himself at the bars of his prison no matter the pain it caused him. _**"HOW DARE YOU?!**_"

_Oh, how he remembered just how close he'd been to killing this squalling, impertinent child. How close his claw had come to ending the life of this noisome, bothersome blond. If not for Minato and Kushina…that job would have been done…and this brat would not be speaking…so…rudely…to him!_

The movement of the silver-haired Jounin that had accompanied the brat into this place startled Kurama, for the man was silent and quick, the step of his foot making no ripple in the endless wash of water as he closed the distance between himself and the boy and pulled the irritant back. For a moment, that quickness reminded the demon of the man that had sealed him in here, and a memory born out of glimpses of times almost twenty years ago had those orange-lantern eyes narrowing down in burgeoning recognition.

"I know you…" The Kyuubi hissed, pressing the forward against the bars, his eyes pinning Kakashi. "I know you…little silver boy."

Kurama lived his life in his hosts in the short, quiet glimpses he got of their lives outside. Sometimes, when the conditions were right, he could see what the Jinchuuriki could see, and hear a bit of a conversation. When he'd been in Kushina, he'd seen a bit out of her eyes, and had known just who her loved ones had been. Minato—that cursed man—had trained this one.

"Minato's little prodigy." He rumbled quietly, wondering why the Jounin stiffened suddenly as he spoke. Sniffing the air, he could smell the tension in it and sense the way that this Kakashi's defenses had come up. _Interesting._ Kurama thought, a sadistic glee rising in him as he saw the brat's blue eyes dart to the older man, a curious look in them, and he couldn't help himself but push forwards, exploring this new and promising tension.

"Your father was quite proud of this kid, brat." The words breathed out of the fox demon, a toothy grin appearing as that brash, golden-skinned face suddenly went pale. "He used to take him home for dinner…and your oka-san would cook for him."

The silence that descended then was thick and choking and the breath that Kakashi inhaled sought to stick and stop him up. It took all of the self-control that he had to stand still as Naruto turned slowly to face him, the rigid set of his love's body more than clue enough as to whether the teen had understood the demon or not.

"_You knew." _

The accusation tore at the very core of his being, for he was all-too familiar with the sound of Naruto's heart being broken, and what he'd heard in those two hoarse little words was the crack of a love so generous and warm that Kakashi's own heart was struggling to beat as he could feel it being withdrawn. "Naruto…" He said softly, reaching out to touch, accepting the spike of palpable sorrow at a visible flinch. "Naruto, I…"

_What? What could he say?_ Thoughts and words and explanations roiled through the Jounin's head, and he knew the tight clench of fear and loss in his guts again. "Naruto, please let me…" A grey eye flipped open, exchanging the quality of vision, and the sight of the tears welling in those ones of blue constricted Kakashi's airway even more. "Please…" He rasped, his hand moving forwards again.

"YOU KNEW!?" The weight of Naruto's compact form being flung against him threw Kakashi back a step and his arms came up to catch that slim, angry form as aimlessly driven fists pounded at him. "You knew, you knew, _you knew you knewyouknew!"_

The impact of those fists against his vest didn't hurt him, but the tears streaming over his love's golden skin, and the shudders quaking through that slim form rattled Kakashi far worse than a strike from that hand ever could. He wanted to tug the younger man close and soothe those tremors from him—hold onto Naruto until he was calm and the tears had stopped so that he could explain just why those secrets had been kept from him. The desire to do so was entirely selfish, welling from the very depths of his being, for the Jounin already couldn't bear to let his love go in case he would never come back to him.

"NO!" His outstretched hand was slapped away, and those sad and teary eyes focused on his face as Naruto withdrew, the false calm on that stricken face more of a blow than those fists had ever been. "NO!" The shout echoed about the vast chamber and drew a growl from the watching demon.

"_**NO!"**_ Blue eyes, so hard and sharp that they could cut through Kakashi's skin, stared at him, freezing him in place. "You promised." Naruto said to him, all of the unbearable pain in those shattered words. "You _promised_ me."

"Naru… let me…" Kakashi tried to speak, the agony of impending loss in his chest expanding to push at his aching ribs. He needed to explain, but those crystalline eyes cut him off, halting his words… Cut off his hope.

"_Get out_."

The crimson-tinged energy of the Kyuubi welled around them, and Kakashi could feel the score of it against his skin as it seeped from the depths of the cage. _Anger._ He knew. _And sorrow._ And a demon only too willing to exploit both.

"Naruto…_please_."

"_GET. OUT."_

The onslaught of the real world slashed at Kakashi's senses, and his head reeled as his chakra was thrown back into his body. Catching himself, he rolled from where he'd been lying on top of Naruto, coming to rest on his back as Naruto rose to his feet to stand over him. The opaque, clouded blue of those staring eyes was a sharp-edged kunai to his hopes as the teen stared down at him without acknowledgment, without a glimmer of awareness in those beautiful eyes, and sorrow rose up inside of Kakashi for the things that he'd never been able to say. He began to fold himself up and come to his feet…began to compose the words that would beg forgiveness and reinstate the love that had become so necessary to him…needing this.

_Needing Naruto._

All of his explanations and all of his chances were cut off as the teen turned and walked away from him without saying a word, those rigidly set shoulders and tightly-fisted hands screaming at him. That last glimpse Kakashi had of that blank, salt-washed face tore his heart right out of his chest. _"Naruto."_ He whispered, letting him go as he knew he must. The boy wouldn't hear him now, no matter what he might say, and it was all he could do to stay on his feet as he watched that forlorn and plodding form disappear into the trees before he was sinking into a crouch that cradled the aching hollowness behind his ribs. Laying his head upon his knees, Kakashi thought of all that he had done and all that he had just lost, and the slow seep of liquid from a single eye dampened the fabric of his pants.

…KNKNKN…

Sitting cross-legged, his onyx eyes fixed on the edges of the forest, Yamato glimpsed a flash of orange through the long trunks of the trees and he rose to his feet, anticipating the return of his senpai and the teen with a great deal of anger. Ten minutes ago, the whole line of Narutos had disappeared…_every single one_ of them _poofing_ away_._ That meant that Kakashi had stolen off with the true Naruto this morning and left him with clones.

All clones, damn him!

Yamato wasn't happy.

And he had every intention of telling the other Jounin exactly why that was as soon as he got his ass back here.

But, as Naruto broke through the edges of the trees and closed the distance between them there was no sight of the silver-haired man at his heels, and no hint of Kakashi's chakra in the trees behind the teen. Yamato's scowl deepened, and the way in which that steadily plodding and uncharacteristically silent form came towards him made a very bad feeling arise in his stomach.

Shifting on his feet, he watched, growing ever more concerned as those ashen features came into sharper focus. Yamato knew that he should do something, but as he set one foot forward, Naruto abruptly changed direction and headed past the small cottage they'd been sharing and back towards the village. "Naruto?" He tried, finding motion at last. "Naruto…what?"

"Let him go."

Kakashi's voice was a wasteland of emotion, rasping over Yamato's skin in a way that was almost painful. He whirled to glare at his senpai, Naruto's troubles momentarily forgotten. As he opened his mouth to shout at him, he took a good look at the man and was silenced, for the pale skin was the colour of translucent porcelain, and the other Jounin looked about as fragile to the touch. The lean form that stood beside him now had lost its aura of power, and looked as if he were a shadow that might fade away in the sun. "Kakashi…what's wrong?"

"I did what I had to do, Tenzo." Kakashi murmured, his single grey eye fixed upon that dwindling figure in orange and black. "I made it into his inner world and saw the Kyuubi. And now Naruto knows."

Puzzled, Yamato approached his comrade, his dark eyes taking in all of the other visible signs of distress he could spot on the normally implacable man. The last time Yamato had seen that look in Kakashi's eye had been when Rin had been killed-that deep and pervasive pain that told him his senpai had lost someone of great importance to him. That whatever had happened past the screen of dark trunks and fresh green leaves had pierced the man right through to the very heart of him.

All of the pieces that Yamato had patiently been hoarding fell into place in that one, perfect moment of comprehension, and he stared at his comrade openly now, his black eyes questioning. _Was Kakashi in love with Naruto? Were they in love with each other? Or, was Kakashi just getting some sort of manipulative satisfaction from playing with the teen?_

_Was he using him?_

_Could they both be…?_

Doubts as to his own thoughts swirled and coalesced in Yamato's chest, and he took a better look at the other man, seeing in him the sadness and the loss that he'd seen so long ago after the death of their teammate. The brown-haired man was struck dumb. He could see that Kakashi was broken…that something had happened while he'd been in the seal with the blond that had cracked the bond that had been so strong between them. The misery on his pale face was too sadly familiar, and that sight brought back every bit of that miserable time in history that lay between them.

_K__ami._ Yamato thought, shoving his fingers roughly through his dark brown hair. _This was bad…_

Thinking of his old days in the ANBU with Kakashi made him think of his squad now… Yamato didn't know much about what was going on with them, for he'd been out in the field for so long, but he didn't like leaving them like this. So much time helping Naruto train…not that he didn't understand just why he was here, but…now that he was an ANBU captain he had his own men to worry about.

Yamato could easily recall what Kakashi had told him the day he became a captain. '_I think you will do great.' _The silver-haired man had said, a self-deprecating smile upon his lips beneath the mask. _'Better than me, I think." _

At the time, he'd been taken aback by that statement, shaking his head instantly to deny it._ 'No way, senpai!' _Yamato had declared, unable to see how it could possibly ever be true_. _Kakashi's tenure in ANBU was already the stuff of legend; no team had ever had a better success rate._ 'There's no way anyone will be better than the Wolf, you were the best!'_

The memory of that silver head being shaken back at him had stayed with Yamato ever since, for the praise of this man had always mattered more to him than any other's. '_No, Eagle…' _he'd said. '_It's your turn to fly.'_

Yamato thought about his team and knew that he was blessed to have them, and blessed to have had a great senpai like Kakashi, but he'd never thought of any of his team in a sexual manner- and if what the other Jounin had done to the teen had exploited Naruto in any way-then the man would have to answer to the Hokage, no matter that he was a hero of the Leaf. No matter that he was one of Yamato's own personal heroes, for the power of a sensei over their student was too delicate, too powerful, for it to ever be abused in any way.

Turning to Kakashi, he inhaled to confront him. To ask the questions that demanded answers and had only just opened his mouth to do so when an ANBU appeared out of a swirl of smoke and aimed a painted porcelain mask towards them.

"Hatake-san. Yamato-san. You are both ordered back to Konoha. The Hokage requires your presence immediately." The white cylinder of a scroll snapped towards them, and Yamato reached out to catch it when he realized that Kakashi wasn't going to bother. Breaking the seal, he unrolled it, scanned it, and felt his face fall as he started to take in just what it said. Without another word, and not waiting for questions, the ANBU disappeared, and the dispersing smoke blew over the two Jounin.

"Kakashi…" He breathed, folding up the scroll and pressing it to the silver-haired man's chest, for him to either take it or let it fall. "Kakashi, it's not good." Yamato missed his team, and worried about them, but most of all he worried about his newest member… Bear.

And the length of time that that teen had been gone had just been hammered home by the four words he'd read upon that white roll of paper:

_Asuma Sarutobi is dead._

**So I would first like to say how thankful we both are for everybody reading and reviewing this story. We now have over 200 reviews! The only word I can use to explain all the reviewers is… badass… you are all just badasses. All jokes aside, thank you all! I hope everyone is enjoying the story and we are so grateful for everything. **

**As for this chapter, I going to get hate but I do think that we are taking the story in the right path. So I hope you guys don't quit on this story because it's far from being done. Thank you guys so much again and I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as much as I did trying to make sure I break all of your hearts (lol jk.) Sorry it took so long to update, talk to you guys next time. Make sure to leave a nice (or angry) review for us! - Deathwish**

**This was a tough one to write, because causing trouble for our boys is the last thing that we wanted to do, but…there it is…please, don't hate us too much. Apologies once again for this chapter taking so long, many explanations could be offered, but I'll spare you the list of excuses. Read, enjoy, bemoan, and leave us a review, we'd love to know just what you think.**

**Next chapter you'll get more of Naruto's reaction, we promise, and some more of the proverbial crap will hit the fan. -KEK**


	17. Chapter 17

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 17**

**Justify**

"_Is your world just a broken promise?_

_Is your love just a drop of rain?_

_Will we all just burn like fire?_

_Are you still there?!"_

– '_Let It Burn' by Red_

Yamato cursed as he sped across the rooftops towards the Hokage Tower. _He shouldn't have gone for his senpai. He shouldn't have believed that tiny, niggling doubt that kept telling him Kakashi wouldn't show up to the meeting they'd both been summoned to._ Battling that back for the last few hours had been so hard that he'd finally given in to it and gone to the other man's apartment to get him. But, whatever else the silver-haired man tended to slack off at, he always attended to his duty, and Yamato should have remembered that.

Especially with the terrible knowledge of a comrade's death weighing on all of their shoulders.

So, curse Kakashi and the doubts Yamato had allowed himself to feel. And curse the minutes he was going to be late to this vital meeting because he'd gone by the other man's apartment first! Doubling his speed, he pushed off of a water tower, feeling the minutes ticking by in the brush of air over his heated face. "A full day of worrying over what I should do and what has that got me?" He muttered out loud, his voice full of disdain for his own stupidity.

"Nothing."

Nothing but a visit to an empty apartment and the futility of knocking at a door where there was no one there to answer. No one, and nothing but a slightly drooping rose in a pot on the landing that had dropped its brown petals into the creases of his uniform pants.

"_Damnit!"_ The curse exploded from him as he finally drew near the tower, the crumpled up water bottle in his hand being flung dead-eyed towards a street-level trash can as he descended. Of course he'd wanted to tell his senpai what he'd decided to do – what he'd felt he **must **do – something that he'd turned over and over in his mind since he'd figured out the existence of some kind of relationship between the other Jounin and Naruto yesterday.

It was his duty to tell the Hokage what he knew despite his desire to trust Kakashi. It was a necessity to protect Naruto in case…in case Kakashi w_as_ taking advantage of the boy.

Yamato didn't believe that.

_He didn't._

But…

He still felt like he had to inform Tsunade and let her decide if what was going on was proper, and he knew that the honourable thing to do would be to tell Kakashi first. _So, damn him!_

Wasted moments knocking at a door – watering that dilapidated rose – and the growing fear of arriving late to a special meeting that he had, specifically, been summoned for, ate away at him. The fear of being noticed arriving late only fed his ire with his comrade until his fists were nearly clenched with the urge to just hit Kakashi for Yamato's own foolishness.

His feet hit the steps and he took them two at a time, only regaining his composure as he reached the right floor and saw the tail-end of the other summoned Shinobi filing into the Hokage's office. "Thank Kami!" Yamato breathed, slipping up behind them and sidling through their ranks. Anxious eyes scanned the room, easily spotting that head of askew silver hair, and he dodged through his assembled comrades until he was panting beside his senpai at last.

"Kakashi…" Yamato started, leaning in to share his decision with the other man. "Kakashi, I have…" _…something to tell you._ The heavy twin thumps of the Hokage's fists hitting her desk interrupted him, and as she launched into her speech, he pushed it aside, hoping desperately that he would have the time to tell him later as he concentrated on what their leader had to tell them all.

Much of it was as he'd been expecting…the announcement of the formation of special teams to pursue the Akatsuki that had killed their fellow Shinobi. Documents were handed out laden with as much data as they'd had before, and the added information that the Shinobi onsite had gathered during that fatal fight. The insight and speculations of Shikamaru Nara were noted, and starred, for special attention, and though neither Yamato nor his silent, unmoving companion received a folder, he was able to scan the one of the Shinobi standing in front of him as the man went over his, taking in what he could as he read along with him.

The news that the funeral would take place tomorrow, and that the teams would be moving out directly afterwards, made him ache though, and Yamato wished that he would be joining in on the hunt. Standing beside his still-silent comrade, he watched as Tsunade dismissed the others, telling them to study their dossier and ready their teams to move out, clearing the room until there were only four left, and Shikaku Nara gave them both a solemn wave before he, too, departed, shutting the door behind him.

Understanding exactly why they'd been singled out and kept behind didn't make the tinge of resentment Yamato was feeling go down any better. He knew that the training he and Kakashi had been putting Naruto through was essential, for the very reason that the Akatsuki **had** come trolling around Konoha and the Temple of Fire was because of their charge. All the more reason then to doubt that he'd be given back his ANBU team and sent out as well, but his eyes still went hopefully to the Hokage as she settled herself back behind her desk and let out a long sigh of exhaustion.

Leaning back in her chair, her fingers steepled before her, the red-painted nails clicking lightly as they tapped together, Tsunade regarded her two remaining Jounin. Patiently she waited. She knew that Naruto had returned to the village yesterday all on his own. She knew that Kakashi and Yamato had returned then as well – separately – but what she didn't know was _why._ Neither of the men in front her had seen fit to tell her their reason for coming back, or had filed a report on their activities as they should have. Now, with the two standing here before her, she was even more curious as to what had brought Naruto back to the village, the teen showing up even before the messenger that had taken the notice of Asuma's death out to the field would have had a chance to deliver it. Needless to say, that bothered her.

When the silence stretched out and the stiff piece of wood that was Kakashi grew ever more distant to her gaze, and Yamato glanced anxiously at his comrade one too many times, Tsunade finally lost that patience and leaned forwards, her intent, demanding, dark amber eyes flickering from one man to the other. "Well?" She asked, one slim, blonde brow arching skywards.

"I wish to lead a…"

"Hokage-sama I have…"

Irritatingly, both men spoke at once and Tsunade frowned at them, for they both sounded so unlike themselves that she could only imagine what they each had to say must be bad. "One at a time!" She barked, folding her arms upon her desk to glare at the men one after the other. "Hatake…speak!"

"I wish to lead a team out on the hunt for the Akatsuki, Tsunade-sama. I am not needed on the training field anymore…we have achieved what I was sent out to teach, and now Naruto needs only Yamato to restrain him as he finishes it."

The brown-haired Jounin gaped up at his friend, for he hadn't been expecting that request at all, and he wavered a moment in his dedication to his duty before deciding to go through with it anyways, taking the time that Kakashi had given him to organize his thoughts once more. When the Hokage didn't respond to Kakashi immediately, he turned to look at her and realized that she was waiting for him to speak up next, and Yamato had to swallow hard against the lump in his throat that wanted to choke him at what he was going to reveal. He didn't like feeling like a tattletale…but he still couldn't doubt that this was what he had to do.

"Hokage-sama…" Yamato started, trying to keep his voice composed. "I must report what I believe to be a relationship between my comrade here, Kakashi Hatake, and his student, Naruto Uzumaki. I have witnessed several instances of…"

A bark of laughter interrupted him in the most startling way, and he drew himself up to stare in confusion at the woman sitting behind the desk, a wide and slightly bemused smile curving up her lips. Beside him, Yamato could feel Kakashi stiffen, and though his senpai did not turn to look at him, he felt the way that the other man collected himself and the distance that seemed to appear between them even though the other Jounin did not move at all. Just from that emotional disconnect, Yamato knew from longtime association that all of Kakashi's senses were in a state of anticipatory, high alert, that could turn deadly in the blink of an eye.

"Aaa, is that what this is all about then?" Tsunade sighed, dropping her forehead to rest momentarily in her palm. "You finally figured it out, did you Tenzou?" She'd known since Jiraiya's funeral that something was going on between her Jounin and her little gaki, that it had progressed far enough that Yamato had discerned it meant that the Hatake-brat and her little brother were growing that much more open with each other. Switching her gaze to Kakashi she stared at him, seeing all the signs of distress and withdrawal that she'd missed before in her own preoccupation with the death of one of her Shinobi, and a tight clenching in her belly told her intuitively that Naruto had somehow been hurt.

"_What did you do?!" _Tsunade growled at the silver-haired man. "_What did you do to my little gaki?!"_

Kakashi barely withheld the twitch of pain that clutched at his body as those angry eyes were directed at him, and he wished that his leader would just follow through on her obviously rising fury and hit him, for at least then the pain that he felt wouldn't be so self-serving. Summoning a cool and detached tone as best as he could, he explained what had happened…that he'd gotten into the seal, and seen the Kyuubi…and that during that achievement the demon had revealed to Naruto just who his parents were.

His voice trailed off after that, for he didn't want to say the rest of it - the memories of the emotions were just that raw and scraping, but the impatient _hmph_ that the woman gave him informed him that he had no choice but to finish, and Kakashi dug deep inside of himself to reproduce the calm, light voice that he was known for.

"I promised him, you see. To tell the truth and…"

_The Third's law had been broken by a being that could never be arrested for it. That could never be executed for it, and now Naruto thinks that I didn't tell him the truth._

"He thinks you lied to him." Tsunade said, following the logic of his unfinished sentence. "That you knew and didn't tell him. Now he's hurt, and he's avoiding you, and that's why you want to lead a team out to look for Hidan and Kakuzu." She watched the Jounin nod at her words, the masked face drawn in and closed down to conceal the anguish she could just discern behind that single exposed eye.

Drawing in a deep breath, she made her decision. "Listen Hatake! This is not a suicide mission! Or a 'get as hurt as you can' mission…understand?!" The shocked reaction of the man reassured her that he hadn't been considering those as options, and she was reassured that he had no intention of punishing himself by taking this assignment. Tsunade knew now that it would be all right to send Kakashi where she thought he needed to be. "Team Ten thinks that they're stealthily concealing their plan to set out after those Akatsuki thugs alone." She informed Kakashi. "You'll be at the gate tomorrow after the funeral to show them just how wrong they are…_right?_"

The confirming nod that she got brought one from her in response, and when she flicked her fingers at Kakashi, he was not long in disappearing, leaving a gaping Yamato behind. "Y-you knew?" He stuttered, still hoping that he'd done the right thing after all, for if the Hokage had known about, and therefore silently condoned, this relationship, he had done all of that worrying for nothing.

_Had probably alienated the other Jounin for nothing._

"I did." The woman confirmed, her features softening slightly. "And I thought that finding love was the best thing for both of them, though I should have foreseen that the question of Naruto's parentage would become an issue. Kakashi has always chafed under the law that kept him from telling Naruto about who he really is." The sigh that came from her spoke of too much to worry about and not enough time to deal with it all, and Yamato could only wonder what he was meant to do with any of this information now that he knew how the situation truly lay, and what he was supposed to say, for he had no idea who the blond's parents were, even now…neither Kakashi or the Hokage had done any more then talk their way around their identities.

Before he could ask though, the Fifth went on, clearly determined to leave that topic behind as she fixed her gaze unwaveringly on him once more.

"You did the right thing in telling me, Tenzou, don't worry about that but, you still have work to do with Naruto before you can be released to do anything else. "

"But, Hokage-sama, the teen is in no shape to train…I don't even know where he is." Yamato responded, his pulse beating a rapid tattoo in his ears as he protested.

"I do." Tsunade replied softly. "You just get ready to take him back to the training field and resume what you were doing." She stood from behind the desk, coming around it to stand in front of Yamato and offer him a reassuring smile. "You will resume training with Naruto after the funeral tomorrow, understood?"

Nodding, bowing, Yamato turned to take his leave - all of his unanswered questions coming with him - making it all of the way to the door before his leader's quietly amused voice brought him to a halt and made him half-turn to look at her. "Don't worry Tenzou, I'll work this out. And you…you be prepared to see a very focused Naruto when he gets back to the Training Field…I've just given him a very good reason to try harder than he's ever tried before." The knowing nod she gave towards the empty space that Kakashi had just occupied made Yamato's eyes widen with comprehension, and as he left the office, he groaned in anticipation of what the next few days might bring.

…KNKNKN…

The unusual mid-day heat had roused almost everyone in the village, bringing them out of open windows and doors to talk and mingle as only a bright, warm spring day can do. In their world the death of a Shinobi, even one that was the son of a former Hokage, was but a backdrop to the groceries that needed getting, or the seedlings wilting to be tucked into freshly turned earth. And, as the chatty, exuberant villagers went about the streets, shouting their _'Tadaima's' _ to each other, dodging the playing children and their unseasonable water hoses, they tread carefully around the rushing Shinobi, giving them their room as they sped grim-faced between them. If any one of them noticed the lack of a certain someone amongst them-those who thought well enough of him to look—they might have missed a certain blond whose sunshine hair and wide smile had been lacking in Konoha these past few weeks.

If anyone had noticed, that is.

Lying in his bed, the sounds outside of his window an unwelcome distraction, Naruto played with the glinting pendant of the necklace that meant so much to him. He'd loved it when Kakashi had given it to him, promising himself that he would never take it off, but now just the feeling of that sharp-edged crystal in his hand hurt so bad—hurt him right down in the very centre of his body where…

Where Kakashi had been and he'd found out about _that_ lie.

Last night had been so hard for him. After he'd left the training ground, Naruto hadn't known what to do with himself. The feeling of betrayal and the pain that was in his heart wouldn't leave. He didn't even make it back to his apartment before the sense of desolation tried to overwhelm him again, and he'd sat down in an alley and just lost himself for a while, his forehead cradled on his knees. When he finally did make it home, Naruto had just collapsed over his dusty bed, wishing that tears would come to his dry, aching eyes, 'cause maybe then he'd feel better.

A night of restless tossing and turning hadn't improved _anything_, and lying here going over and over what had happened was just making the ache worse. He had to do something…anything… Sitting up cross-legged, still holding the necklace with his right hand, Naruto looked down at the blue pendant. Turning it this way and that, he watched it sparkle, wondering at how it had once hung around his own mother's neck. _From her to Kakashi. _He thought,_ some kind of weird journey that ended with it coming back to me._ As much as Naruto wanted to be happy to make the connection that it had come from his Mom to him, the memory of the joy he'd felt when Kakashi had given it to him still just hurt too much. Clutching it tighter in his hand, he made the decision to get up and do something with himself.

Sliding from his bed, he tugged the pendant off over his head and placed it on his night stand, the _tunk_ of that stone meeting wood a sound that somehow made him feel even lonelier. For a moment he stopped there, blue eyes staring down, and one hand reached out to touch before he stopped it willfully, reminding himself of just why he'd taken it off. _"He lied to me." _Naruto whispered hoarsely, turning away before he could change his mind again. _He lied to me._

Moving as if his body knew what his mind wanted, he changed out of the orange and black training gear he was still wearing and into some civilian clothes. The moment he walked out of his door in his shorts and shirt, Naruto's eyes were drawn upwards, and from the verandah that extended outside of his apartment door, he looked up to see the face of the Fourth Hokage there on the mountain along with the others. "Dad." He said quietly, the word strange on his lips. Somehow he'd always thought that when he found out who his parents were, there'd be this moment where all of it made sense. That bright burst inside of him where he'd understand everything that had been done to him and see it all the way he was sure that it should be seen, and then he'd know _why._

_Why him? Why pick him and put the Kyuubi inside of him when he was just a baby? And why leave him all alone? And who his parents were and where did they go? _So it was weird and painful now to see the face of the man he looked up to as a hero and know it to be his father, all of those questions roiling and tumbling in his head. Swiping his hand over gritty, dust-filled eyes, Naruto gazed up into his father's face his fingers twisting and knotting at his sides. "Did you even love me?" He whispered aloud. "Why did you leave me all alone?"

But there was no way that a man of stone could answer him back.

….KNKNKN…

Walking through the village, both hands shoved deep into his pockets, Naruto couldn't help the litany of questions that still yammered inside of his head. It was more than just Kakashi telling him lies…_Who else had known? _Surely more than just the Jounin had known who his parents were. How many though? "Why didn't anyone tell me?" He muttered aloud, deliberately skirting the busiest streets, his face drawing down into a very uncharacteristic frown as he thought about all of the people he'd considered precious that also might have lied to him. "Jiji had to have known." Naruto grunted, sorrow and anger clutching equally at his heart. "_**He **_was the Hokage…_**he **_should have known _everything."_

What hurt the most was that Iruka-sensei might have known. That Ero-sennin and Baa-chan probably knew and had never told him. All of those people he'd looked up to and trusted, all of those he'd listened to and…and _loved._ Dryness ached behind Naruto's eyes, and he felt as if his forehead might bust from the pressure inside of his skull, but the tears that itched behind his eyeballs wouldn't come, no matter how much he wished they would. Not even thinking about Kakashi seemed to be able to bring them out.

'_Promise each other that we won't lie…that we'll tell each other everything. No holding anything back. You'll tell me the truth…and I'll tell you the truth, because that's the kind of relationship I want to have with you.'_ Those words…he'd meant them right from the bottom of his heart when he'd said them…and he'd thought that Kakashi had meant them, too. The ache in his eyes intensified, and his head felt as if it might pound open from the force of the heat inside of his skull. He really loved him.

He really loved Kakashi, and it hurt so bad to know that he'd been lied to and ignored. And treated as if he was a kid and wouldn't understand things…

Naruto kept walking, but his brain wouldn't stop working, and the thoughts battered at him as he strode through the streets of the village, not intent upon going anywhere, just using the movement as a distraction from the questions slicing so ruthlessly at his insides. There were so many he felt as if they might spill out from all of the pain, falling on the ground at his feet for everyone to see and, like the tears that wouldn't fall, he wished that they would, just so he could get rid of them.

_How could his father seal the demon inside of him? _

_Didn't he love him? Did he hate him, was that why? And what about his mother?_

_Wouldn't they want their son to be happy?_ "Don't you know how much pain this has caused me?" Naruto muttered to himself, the slicing pain scoring at his nerves again. "I was happy, I…I was just...just falling in love."

The warm, salty scent of ramen teased at his nose, awakening a gurgling in a stomach that had never known what it was to be turned off by food, and Naruto looked up to find himself near 'Ichiraku's'. The stand looked to be mostly empty, for it was the middle of the afternoon, and the hangings were blowing about in the warm breeze. It made for such a normal picture in the desolation of his day that Naruto was drawn towards it, pushing under the hangings to stand uncertainly in front of the counter, unsure what he was going to do now that he was actually there. Balancing on the balls of his feet, teetering in either direction and ready to flee if that was the way his heart fell, his thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of Teuchi-san, and the heat that flooded his heart then had more to do with seeing someone that had always been kind to him, than pain that he was in.

"Naruto!" A warm smile curved the older man's lips, creasing that already wrinkled face in such a familiar and beloved way that the blond felt a crack inside of him, and he put a hand to his heart where he'd thought something had broken. "Sit down! Sit down!" A gnarled, miso-stained hand gestured to the stool where he normally sat, and the _rightness _of doing just that almost tugged Naruto down onto that polished wooden surface. "What are you doing here, Naruto-kun? I thought that you were out training with your sensei and your taichou?"

He didn't know what to say to respond to that question, so Naruto sat in silence, his head downcast, his eyes fixed on his hands lying in his lap. Around him the sounds of the afternoon village outside the stand went on, and he heard the older man shift uncomfortably, and then come closer. "Naruto?" From the telltale heat of breath on his face, he knew the man must be very close to him. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

The words just came from him then, a part of him hoping desperately that the answer would be 'no', but another, smaller, bit wishing that someone would just talk plainly to him—that someone would just tell him the truth. "Oji-san? Did you know my Dad?"

The hesitation and gasp that Naruto couldn't miss brought his head up in a snap, and he stared into that seamed face, glimpsing something in the older man's dark eyes that he couldn't quite understand. One wrinkled hand came up to flutter in mid-air, and a smile that matched Naruto's own forced one came onto Teuchi-san's face. That he was able to recognize it so easily, and to know the panic that creased the man's face struck at Naruto, and he knew that he was just going to get another lie if he didn't say something else.

"I know." Two words. Softly spoken, but directed right into the wavering cook's eyes stilled him in an instant, and Teuchi actually stopped and _looked_ at him, actually _looked_ to see the truth in his own gaze. "I know who my parents are."

Naruto broke the intense stare that they we sharing and looked up and to the side, picturing just where his father's face was, there amongst the others. "All of this…" His voice was still so soft it would have been lost on the breeze if not for the other man being so close. "All of this time and he's been right up there."

With his eyes still upon the imagined, distant, carved face of his father, Naruto heard the movement the older man made as he stepped backwards to the stool he kept at the corner of the counter, sinking onto it as he was wont to do when he needed to rest his legs from the rush of his customers. He had to make the choice of looking at Teuchi-san just then, or not, and he found that he couldn't bear to see just what would be in those weary old eyes, or see how the wrinkles on his face would shift with the emotions playing over them. _Lies…so many lies…and so many people that he'd trusted to be truthful with him._

Slowly then, Teuchi-san began to talk, his voice gaining firmness and direction as his words picked up pace and flowed more easily to Naruto's ears. The other man actually chuckled as he reminisced, and it did touch his heart a little to hear how he so fondly remembered his father. With no conscious thought, his eyes were drawn to the older man, and he saw how he'd tipped his head back to lean it against the wall, a small smile curving up his lips as he spoke. Something fluttered in his stomach to see that, for though Naruto had always known that Minato Namikaze had been a well-liked and respected man, to see another react to their memories of his father only brought that lesson closer to home for him.

"You know, Naruto-kun, before you, your father was my Number One Ramen Fan…he'd have eaten it every day if Kushina-san had let him." A soft chuckle came from the man, his body shaking slightly. "Even when he became Hokage, he'd still get it delivered on the sly."

Those words struck at Naruto, sparking an irresistible curiosity inside of him that had formerly weary blues eyes suddenly sharpening. "Say, oji…when he got it delivered…were you the one that delivered it?"

…KNKNKN…

Naruto finally made it to where he was going just as twilight was falling over the village. It was a small house tucked away in the corner of the Jounin housing compound; the small flock of buildings where unwed, or homeless Jounin stayed while in the village. Somewhere, as Teuchi-san had said, that Minato and Kushina both would be able to come and go and not be noticed as anything special. The old man had given him careful instructions as to how to find the house, and no one on the compound grounds had even batted an eye at him as he'd wandered through the spaces between the buildings. Though, seeing as how they'd all been rushing about, carrying black clothing or juggling weapons, Naruto could vaguely see why he went unnoticed.

The house wasn't really much to speak of…just one more block building with a plain front door and two levels. The white paint was peeling from around the trim, and the tiles on the roof were beginning to crack. Naruto could see why no one would ever suspect their Hokage of living here. He circled the house, scanning the exterior, noting how it was pressed up against the back of the compound, the spaces behind tall with weeds and some very overgrown perennials. There used to be a garden here, and he could see that, but that hardly concerned him now, for what he wanted more than anything was to just get inside.

Using some of the skills he'd learned in the Academy, Naruto wormed his way inside of the home through a window in the back, almost immediately disappointed that it was empty inside. Dust floated in the quiet, dim interior, rolling across the wooden floors that cracked under his feet as he moved from room to room, peering into dark cupboards and behind doors. _Something could still be here_, he thought. _Forgotten, left behind…overlooked in the hurry or the sadness of clearing out the home of a couple that had never officially lived here. _He was inside his parents' home…and the feelings welling inside of him were a mixture of many things…so many things that he couldn't separate all of them, all mixing with the leftover chill from yesterday, the merest thought of Kakashi twinging the empty place in his gut.

Clutching at his stomach, he breached the entrance way to the last room on the very last floor of the house, finding paint the colour of robin's eggs and sunshine, and the faintest, faded imprint of small forest animals cavorting around the confines of the walls. _I could I have lived here. _ He thought to himself, going all the way in. _I think that I was supposed to live here. _This…this was a room for a baby.

The ones that had cleaned up here hadn't as thorough, he saw. Three boxes sat in the corner, and Naruto's heart beat a little harder as he thought that he might have found something, but, even as he approached them, he could see that they were empty, and he batted at the boxes in a moment of exasperation, sending them flying. The clatter of an object falling from the skittering, tipping containers snapped his head around, and he scrambled for the picture as it slid away from him, sinking to the floor to sit with it on his knees.

Dust coated the thin, metal frame, covering the image within with the thickness of time and history, and as he cleaned the dirt and grime from the glass, some of those days past came into view—this small piece—a moment in time that Naruto saw with new and comprehending eyes. He saw that it was his parents sitting outside on a rock, leaning together with smiles on their faces. Ero-sennin grinned behind them, a hand on both of their shoulders, and under them lying against the rock was the impossibly young figure of his sensei, silver hair, reserved expression, and mask… That damned, stupid, infuriating mask…Naruto's eyes closed wearily as he folded forwards to rest his forehead over the picture of the man, his heart starting to ache again.

_Just how many masks did Kakashi have to wear?_

…KNKNKN…

Tsunade paced steadily between the buildings, her head bowed with the weight of her thoughts. Above her and around her, her ANBU guards flitted from rooftop to rooftop, keeping watch over her even within the extra secure compound. She had come seeking out her little gaki, and her heart was heavy with too many emotions including regret, that it had taken her so long to finally get this far.

Stopping outside of a doorway she'd heard only too much about from her recently-deceased teammate, golden eyes scanned the careworn house, seeing signs of the benign neglect that marked a memoriam that no one talked about or acknowledged. With scarlet-tipped nails, she peeled a strip of paint from the frame, holding it between her fingers as she considered how sad it was that this could be considered a memento of two very fine people before she let it float to the ground. Inside she knew that she would find Naruto. The very discreet ANBU guard she'd assigned to the boy yesterday had reported his location last night, and then had stood watch over the obviously bereft teen when he'd fallen asleep in the empty house.

_There but for the interference of the Kyuubi…_ Tsunade thought, knowing that Naruto would have called this place 'home' if not for the events that stole his parents' lives. A simple surge of her chakra, and a release handsign opened the front door for her, and as the heel of her sandal clacked for the first time on the dirty wooden floor inside, she sniffled back a tear, anticipating what she would find.

Throughout the first floor she found the signs of Naruto's exploration, the dust upon the floors parted and imprinted with sandal soles and the breeze of the blond's passing. She followed the path he'd left behind as he'd wandered, giving herself the luxury of time to gather her thoughts and plan what she was going to say. Tsunade could only imagine just how betrayed her little otouto felt…Naruto would have surely realized by now that it wasn't only Kakashi that had known and kept the secret of his heritage from him. She was expecting a rightful outrage, and as she turned towards the stairs, still tracking those solitary footprints, she released a sigh to gird herself for what she might receive.

In the room upstairs, second door to the right, she found Naruto sleeping, curled up on the floor on a cardboard that looked to have been crushed down from a box. From the report of the ANBU, he's spent the whole night here, wandering aimlessly around the house repeatedly before settling up here just before the sun had come up. Calmly, quietly, Tsunade sat down beside him, crossing her legs and looking down at that unguarded and beautiful face as she let him sleep for a moment more. "Naruto." She said, sliding one hand over his head of riotous blond hair. "It's time to wake up."

Several minutes later she was just about to shake him until his teeth rattled, for _nothing_ she'd done had hauled the teen from slumberland. Sitting back in a huff, Tsunade curled one hand into a fist and drew it back, hating to have to resort to this when the young man was already in such a delicate state. "For Kami's sake, Naruto." She ground out, about to bring that fist down when inspiration struck. Dropping her hand, she leaned in instead, and pursed her lips right beside the whorl of an ear. "The ramen's all steaming and hot, Naruto. Pork, and miso, and the noodles…_oh, so good!"_

If Tsunade hadn't dodged back so quickly a speeding forehead would have slammed her right in the nose. As it was, she swore heartily, leaning back and away as Naruto sat bolt upright, a stunned expression in those blue eyes, and a string of rather unsightly drool descending from his gaping mouth. "Huh? Whaaat?" He mumbled, finding her face as she continued to swear.

It took a moment but eventually those blue eyes cleared, and in the second before the teen remembered, she saw the happiness and excitement he felt upon recognizing her, and then a veil was drawn down over those expressive eyes, and a full bottom lip extended into a pout.

"What do you want, Baa-chan?" Naruto huffed, his gaze darting around the room that he was in, recalling just how dark it had been in here in the wee hours of the morning. He was still tired, his breath shallow and warm as he sat waiting for the woman to answer, his brain busily yelling _'she knew, she knew'_ at him until it was all that he could do to not tell it to just shut up.

"Well?"

Tsunade let out a very deep sigh, her hand coming up to cover her eyes for just a second of relief from the day that she'd been having. She'd left the after the funeral to come right here, happy in a way to know that Naruto hadn't heard about Asuma's death, otherwise the teen would have been there, ranked with the other mourning Shinobi. Leaving that unfortunate news for another time had seemed best to her, and in the brief moment she'd taken to talk with Yamato before she'd left, she'd passed the task to him to perform…one that he wasn't very glad to receive at all.

She had enough to do, _thank you_, including going back to send off the Shinobi teams that were going out to hunt down the Akatsuki. Yamato was just going to have to suck it up.

"Naruto. When you were born and your parents died, the Third had to come back to take up office again, and there were many things that he had to address. The first of which was that your father and mother made every effort to keep their relationship and your existence secret from almost everyone." Looking down, she could see that the teen's face hadn't cleared any, and that Naruto was looking away from her, his face still set with stubborn lines. Tsunade reached out and laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, seeking to soothe, but Naruto jerked away from her, turning fitfully to give her his back.

"I know that this is hard on you, baka." She said gently. "And I know that you feel betrayed, but there really is a reason for all of this." Letting her hand fall away, Tsunade placed it back on her knee, turning her attention away to glance up at the decoration in this little room. _A nursery._ She thought, sadness and regret twining through her. _A nursery for this young man here._

The weight of knowledge and of the pains of years past sat on top of her already weary shoulders for a moment as Tsunade struggled to breathe. This was where her teammate would have excelled. Where Jiraiya and his blustery, warm personality would have been able to reach Naruto and coax him from his doldrums, she didn't have the character to do that. Charging in and confronting things head on was definitely more her style. Swallowing the impulse to do just that, Tsunade took another deep breath to control her temper, and picked up her history where she'd left off.

"Your father had so many enemies. All of Iwa, Kiri, and most of the other Elemental Countries hated him, and hunted him with an obsessive passion. If they'd have known that he had a child left unprotected…a child that was the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi they'd have never left you alone until you were in their hands, or dead."

"Sarutobi-san had to protect you, Naruto…he had to make sure that it never came out who you actually were. He gave you your mother's name. Raised you as an Uzumaki, and kept your paternity so secret that it was a crime to tell you who you were."

Blue eyes shot to her face, the haze of confusion and resentment clouding the clarity of them beginning to rescind as the teen made sense of what he'd just heard. "A crime?" Naruto repeated, "…a crime to tell me who my parents are?"

"Punishable by death, Naruto." Tsunade finished, letting the gravity of those words take them down into the space between her and the young man she considered her otouto, giving Naruto the room to think about how heavy they were.

"Then Kakashi…" The soft tenor of that hoarse voice failed as Naruto looked up into tender, caring honey-coloured eyes and saw the affirmation there.

"Wanted to tell you and couldn't, baka. She said softly. "On the pain of death."

The sharp pain that had muted to a dull ache returned to Naruto then, as the confusing emotions that were whirling around in his head began to surface again. Dry, sand-filled eyes that had refused to tear up began to do so now, and the flood of salt tears that poured forth embarrassed him as Baa-chan curled an arm around him and pulled him in against her big bosom to hold him as he sobbed. All of the disappointment and betrayal welled in him and he cried it all out against her shoulder, whimpering and gasping until there was nothing left inside of him to come out, and then Naruto shuddered and hiccoughed, centering himself only on the warmth of a hand resting in the small of his back.

_It felt so good to have gotten all of that out._ He thought as he peeled his face from the slimy front of his Baa-chan's robe, feeling just how sticky and wet his face was with snot and salt. Naruto looked to Tsunade, expecting just a little bit of anger over how gross he'd gotten her clothes, but the tender gleam In her eyes told him that she was more concerned about his feelings than the state of her robes. A bit of the anger and sadness still inside of him melted at that look, reminding him that this woman did care about him, even if she hadn't told him the truth in the past.

"Sorry." He whispered, motioning to her clothes anyways, wanting her to know that he cared, too.

"It's all right, brat." She returned, the affection in her slightly raspy voice the only hint as to the tears that she had wanted to shed, too. "Do you feel better?"

Naruto thought honestly about that question, still feeling the lightness that had come with releasing all of the tears that he hadn't been able to shed earlier, and he nodded reluctantly, still not ready to give his up sense of betrayal. The slight smile the woman gave him confused him, and he watched her dig into the pocket of her robes, pulling something from them that made his heart thump rather forcefully in his chest.

"Y-you…"

"Went by your place and got this, Naruto." Tsunade said softly, placing the necklace on the floor in front of her, the blue crystal flashing in the low, golden afternoon light that was slanting through the window. "I think it looks good on you…" She joked, her voice very gentle, knowing that the sight of it might be painful. "It brings out your eyes.

Hesitantly, she reached out with her hand, wanting to reassure her little otouto that it was okay for him to trust. "You know, he really hated not being able to tell you."

Naruto bit his lip at that, one hand frozen in the act of automatically reaching out for the necklace that laid just by his knee. When a calloused palm cupped his cheek, he didn't turned away from it, nor did he press into it, he just let it warm his salt-rimed skin as he looked at her with wary, weary, blue eyes. _Was that enough? His heart wanted to go right to Kakashi and throw his arms around him…_

Silently he shook his head, answering his own unspoken question, and Tsunade dropped her hand. There was still too much hurt inside of him to think all that through yet.

Heaving out a large breath of that made that big bosom of hers bounce, she levered herself to her feet and walked towards the open doorway. "Naruto…" Turning at the door, she looked back over her shoulder at him, her golden eyes very thoughtful. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love. I also know what it's like to love someone and never show them just how you feel… and when they're gone there is nothing you can ever do about the fact that you never told them." The weight of her gaze was heavy on Naruto and his own eyes widened as he realized just who she was talking about.

"You loved Jiraiya-sensei…didn't you." He said instinctively, feeling the hard-edged corners of the crystal as he clutched it tightly in his hand.

The woman didn't reply, but those golden eyes darkened as she looked past him, focusing on something—_or someone—_just beyond his shoulder. There was something so personal in that gaze that he felt compelled to look away, and so when Tsunade stepped outside the room he wasn't looking at her when she spoke to him again. "Go home."

"Go home, Naruto, and shower. Change your clothes and meet Yamato at the Training Field and finish what you've begun together. **That's an order.**" The rasp in his Baa-chan's voice was more pronounced than usual, and he felt his stomach clench at the regret he could so obviously hear there. Naruto sat with his head bowed until he heard the last of her heels on the stairs. _What did he want to do?_

Naruto stood and placed the flattened cardboard back in the corner with the unbroken boxes. He looked around the little room one last time, thinking that this might have been his home in another world. He might have lived here with his Mom and Dad, and maybe a little sister, or brother.

Maybe…

Might…

Silently, Naruto left the room, going down the stairs treading softly, completely unaware that he'd slipped the necklace back over his head until he felt the crystal bounce against his breastbone. Raising his hand to his chest, he looked again at the picture he'd carried along with him, realizing that it truly represented the past now. That outside of the front door his Baa-chan had left open, there was a future that he had to live, and people that loved him…people that he called friends and family…and even someone that he loved. And just maybe, none of them had wanted to lie to him. Maybe they'd wanted to tell him who he was, and they couldn't.

_Punishment of death._ He thought, rolling his eyes at the extremity of it all. _Wow._

Stepping out into the late afternoon sunlight, Naruto looked up to the sky that seemed to stretch away in every direction above him. How often had he laid on his back on a fine day, sharing a frozen treat with the Pervy Sage and dreaming of the possibilities that lay before him? Now Jiraiya-sensei was gone, and Baa-chan was lonely without him, and he—he was lonely, too.

Taking to the roofs, Naruto headed for his apartment, doing as he'd been ordered to do. In his ears, as he leapt, soaring through the spaces between the buildings, he could hear that tenor slide so soft and earnest in his head, and his heart clenched as he finally understood just exactly what Kakashi had been trying to tell him on that cold winter's night.

"_You know that is impossible, Naru." _ That single grey eye had gazed at him so brightly, and so intently, and he could almost feel now how Kakashi had been willing him to understand. _"We're Shinobi, you know that. There are going to be times when we're under orders and we can't tell each other 'everything'."_

Yeah, _uh huh_, he understood that now.

…KNKNKN…

Yamato's fingers kept up a nervous rhythm as he waited for his teammate to arrive. He didn't know how he was supposed to explain to Naruto what had happened since he'd seen him last. It was completely unfair that the Hokage had left it up to him to tell the teen that Asuma had died. Not only that but he had to tell him that Kakashi had a new assignment - a new, _dangerous_ assignment - and that Naruto wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere until he'd finished his training. There was no question in his mind just how well **that** was going to go over. "Kami! Why me?!" Yamato moaned, clutching at his head over his forehead protector. "What did I do to deserve a task like this?"

"A task like what, Yamato-taichou?"

The boy's high, unexpected voice scared the crap out of Yamato and he spun and leapt back, that hand dropping to his heart as it rattled behind his ribcage. "Naruto! Don't do that to me!" How the teen had managed to sneak up on him was a matter that the brown-haired Jounin wasn't prepared to think about right at that moment, and so he dropped back, giving them both space as he gathered up his shamefully scattered wits.

As if he hadn't even flinched in fear, those blue eyes were still fixed on him, measuring him, and Yamato suspected that the younger man was expecting an answer to his question. The small shiver that worked its way up his spine chilled him, and he had to remind himself that every time he'd thought he knew Naruto, the blond had a way of surprising him.

The blond was doing that now. And he had a very good idea that Naruto had learned some hard lessons the last few days, and was keeping them very close to his heart.

"What kind of a task did the Hokage give you?" Naruto repeated, his blue eyes narrowing. _What had Yamato known about his parents?_ He wondered. There was something inside of him that doubted this man had ever known the truth about who he was, and as he took that as a truth, he also realized that his captain's current reticence was about something else entirely.

Naruto strode closer, a part of him narrowed in on whatever it was that the other man was holding back from him. In the last two days he'd confronted a lot of lies and the other kinds of lies, where people deliberately don't tell you the things that they know. It was that kind of lie that he was sensing now, and he stared up at Yamato, his face set into such a grimace that it was almost as if he was daring the Jounin to try and pull that scary face crap on him.

"Ehh? Tell me." He demanded.

Yamato couldn't remember the last time he'd seen such a determined look in those blue eyes. This was a kid far more focused on what he wanted than that teen in the woods when Orochimaru had stood before them. One far more set on discovering answers than the teen that usually acted first and listened to answers later. For some reason that made his mouth go dust dry, and he swallowed really hard, desperately trying to compose just the right explanation for the information that he had to give. "Asuma Sarutobi is dead, Naruto."

Straight on…right out with it…there was no other way for him to soft-shoe it, and he believed that Naruto did better if he heard it plainly. "The Akatsuki came to the Fire Temple, we believe that they were looking for Sora, and they killed the priest there, the one that had been Asuma's friend." Yamato could see the wetness gathering at the edges of those thick, golden lashes, and he had to swallow again for a very different reason entirely. "In the ensuing battle, he was killed."

Naruto had thought that he'd done enough crying today to last him a lifetime, but he was truly unsurprised to feel the track of a hot liquid down over his cheek as he remembered the laconic bearded man that had taught him how to use his nature element. Sniffling, he nodded his acknowledgement of his captain's words, and his thoughts went to Shika, Choji and Ino, and he wondered how well they were doing now that their sensei was dead. He could only imagine how…

How he and Sakura and Sai would feel if…

"Yamato-taichou, where is Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto almost didn't recognize his own voice as he asked the question because his heart was squeezing so tightly in his chest that he felt as if he was being strangled by his own blood. The long pause that came between them made the tension in his body rise, and he clenched his fists as the other man resisted answering him. That didn't make Naruto happy—_he wasn't happy at all_—and he was on the verge of using his fists when the Jounin finally responded to him. "Senpai is leading Asuma's team out into the field, Naruto. The Hokage wanted him to take that team personally so that they wouldn't do anything foolish."

The words were barely out of the other man's mouth before Naruto had turned on his heel to return to the village. _If Baa-chan thought that she could put him out here when his…his…gah! When Kakashi was in danger, then she was damned wrong! He was going to go after Kakashi and he was going to make sure that nothing—__**nothing**__ happened to him._

"**Naruto!"** The snap in his captain's voice stopped Naruto in his tracks and he twisted around in his steps, staring rudely at the other man. "Just what use do you think you'll be to Kakashi if you go out there without finishing your training?" Yamato demanded, his dark brown eyes on fire with challenge. "You'll just hold him back and add another burden to the battle if you go out there now and you know that."

"And that's the perfect way to get the man killed."

Blood ran from Naruto's face as he was slapped by the other man's words, and all of the self-righteous anger fled from him as he realized the terrible truth behind the very cruel things Yamato had said. The Akatsuki were after _him._ They wanted him, and they would go through anything to capture him…including one of the most famous Shinobi Konoha had ever produced. Just like they had gone through Asuma-sensei. For a moment he stood there shuddering with the urges that were sending him in two directions at once. Every fibre of his heart was screaming at him to go and help Kakashi, but the practical part that the man he loved and Yamato had been drilling into him all of these weeks was telling him that he had to finish the things that he'd started first. He **had** to learn how to kick ass in the coolest and most awesome way ever, and he had to do that _**now.**_

"All right." Naruto glared at the other man as he stomped past him towards the waterfall, a simple hand sign summoning enough clones to fill the long branch without the teen uttering a syllable of the focusing chant. As one, the group of blonds took to the tree, and the real Naruto's voice floated back to Yamato as he took up position in front of the cascade of water roaring past his nose. "Yamato-taichou, when I'm finished this, will you help me with something else I've been thinking about. I've got an idea that's going to make a really awesome jutsu, but I'm gonna need your help."

Yamato, who'd been scrambling to assemble his Mokuton towers, flopped himself into a cross-legged position and held out his hand, calling out as he looked up, the very prophetic words of the Hokage about how he should have prepared himself ringing in his ears. "Uh, sure, Naruto." He said. "Anything…"

When his jaw hit the ground in the next second, Yamato found himself at a loss for words, surprised by his unpredictable teammate once more. He thought that he actually whimpered in that moment, the noise low and disturbed in the back of his throat as he looked up at what Naruto was doing.

_When…did he learn to do…that?_

Above him the water was opening around the pass of many, coordinated hands, for he was seeing the clones and the teen work as one. Each pass of those hands cut more and more of the liquid flowing past them, and he wondered desperately just when this frustratingly amazing teen had figured out how to do this. "N-nar-u-uto?" He croaked, his hand falling back to his lap. "Wh-when?"

"Ehh…" A series of high-pitched metallic _pops_ announced the departure of all of the clones, and as the gobsmacked Jounin looked on, the blond made one full swipe with his hands and completely cleaved the waterfall from side to side. "We figured it out a few days ago, but Kakashi had promised us some training time and so we held it back." With a sigh the younger man leapt from the tree branch and strode towards Yamato, shaking the water droplets from his thick, blond hair as he did so.

_All of that, just because he wanted to spend more time with Kakashi?!_

Gaping, gasping, aware that he looked more like a fish than the ones they'd caught to eat, Yamato snapped his mouth closed as two clones reappeared at Naruto's side, one of them instantly going to work on creating a Rasengan. "So…" The teen started, his brows drawing down in concentration. "Kakashi-sensei mentioned something about combining a Rasengan with my wind element, but he said it would be just like having to look left and right at the same time…you know anything about that?"

_Oh, Kami…_The brown-haired Jounin did whimper low in his throat that time, as the Hokage's devastating words came back to haunt him once more. _This was…this was going to hurt._

…KNKNKN…

_Blood dripped with every step, soaking into the green grass. Neji felt overwhelmed as he carried his bleeding friend through the forest. Although he knew Yami wouldn't be following anytime soon, he wanted to get as far away from that village as possible. With every step that he took, his body cried out for him to stop, for the weakness in his limbs was spreading, and making his muscles tremble. The extra weight of Tzu, riding so heavily on his back was sapping his remaining strength even faster. _

"_You know you didn't kill him." The soft, hoarse voice of the older man whispered in his ear, and Neji turned to look at Tzu, those warm, bleary eyes so close to his own. _

"_I know." He replied, staggering on a little further before he finally had to stop. Carefully, he lowered the injured man, bending down and arching backwards until Tzu's back made contact with the nearest tree and he could slide down to sit at its base. A deep sigh of relief left him then, and he fell into a cross-legged heap, leaning back on his arms as he tried to catch his breath._

_Neji peered up at the sky as his heart finally began to slow. He was hoping to give his body a small rest before he continued on, but his brain wasn't willing to co-operate. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was no question that the Akatsuki bastard wouldn't be killed with that attack, no matter how much he wished that he would have. Neji had reworked that battle in his head as he'd run and knew that there was nothing that he could have done to achieve a different outcome. That didn't stop him from being frustrated though, and he sat and stewed a bit more, caught up by his own inadequacies. _

_A noise drew Neji's eyes open and he looked at his friend, his heart clenching as he saw just how much pain Tzu was in. Those unfocused eyes were ringed with darkness, and they seemed to have sunk into the older man's skull. Harsh, panting breaths hitched out of the injured chest, and Neji didn't have to be a med-nin to hear just how Tzu's lungs were laboring for every one of them. All of his instincts screamed out to him for help, so he rolled to his hands and knees and moved closer to the old man, placing his hands above the wound. Gathering up what chakra he had left, he brought it into his hands. The rudimentary medical knowledge he did have could only be helped by his very advanced chakra control, and his Hyuuga Clan training on the physiology of the human body. _

_The green chakra left his hands and poured over the wound. Neji was trying to stop the bleeding, but this was where his lack of medical training became a hindrance. More chakra did not seem to heal the wound any faster, but he kept trying until the dark spots signifying chakra exhaustion began to gather behind his eyes. _

_Head whirling, his stomach knotting both from hunger and from nausea, he tried to continue, loathing himself for weakening. He couldn't help Tzu any more if he passed out. And, the small advantage they'd gained through his attack would be wasted if he spent any time at all unconscious. When he had so little chakra left that he could barely feel it inside of him, he finally had to stop, and he drew up his legs and wrapped his arms around them, letting his head fall to his knees as he waited for the sick fatigue to ease. "Damn." He whispered, his voice smothered by his legs. 'How could this possibly get any worse?' _

_The soft tremble of a cold hand on his shoulder brought Neji's head up to look into the worn, white face so close to his own. Tzu was smiling weakly, the effort that it was taking the older man to do just that evident in his increasingly itinerant breathing. "Tzu…I…I'm sorry."_

_Tzu managed to shake his head negatively as his hand fell from the younger man's shoulder and he fell back against the tree once more. "No." He whispered hoarsely, struggling under the heaviness that was pressing down on his chest and stealing away his breath. "No..." All that mattered now was that his home was protected. That the villages of the Grass be saved from the evil of the Akatsuki, and that this brave young man survived to get back to his home and get that help. Drawing in a breath that rasped wetly, he looked his young friend in the eyes and gave him an another small smile, finding the last of his strength to hold those silvery eyes compellingly. "Neji… Neji…k-keep your pr-promise…"_

_A lightness was coming over Tzu, creeping up over his limbs and releasing the heaviness from his heart. He had no fear of what was coming, only the desire to finish what he'd started. "P-please…" Through the darkness rimming his vision, he saw Neji's eyes grow wide and he knew that the Shinobi had remembered the words he'd said to him. _

'_Tzu… I swear I will try to help you save your people.' _

_Neji sat back on his heels as that reminder burned a guilty hole in his stomach, and he shook his head in angry, sorrowful rejection. "You're not going die! I swear I am getting you out of here!" _

_The small smile that curved the other man's lips was faint, but there, though Neji could not say the same for those unfocused eyes. They were lost in the distance, and Tzu's gaze was far away as if he could see something Neji would never comprehend. "It's t-too late, m-my friend." The words were so low, and that voice so faint, Neji had to lean close to hear them, and he couldn't miss the scent of blood that came from between his friend's lips with every one of them. "T-too…" _

_Deep, racking coughs seized that old form, and Neji leaned over him, lending his strength as he waited for the fit to pass. The trickle of blood that emerged from the corner of Tzu's mouth brought tears to Neji's eyes, and he had to draw in a breath to admit to himself what was really happening here._

"_It's not." The young teen murmured, his voice breaking agonizingly. Dark eyes came back to him once more, and Neji froze, knowing that this was the last time that he'd see this gaze fixed upon him. He wanted to focus on this moment. He wanted to burn it into his brain and keep it with him for the rest of his life as a memory of what it was like to lose a friend, and to fail at a mission he'd wanted to accomplish more than anything. Drawing in a deep, desperate breath, he held those eyes, seeing the question that Tzu had asked earlier, and he nodded, his head bobbing even as hot tears began to roll down his cheeks. _

"_I promise you, Tzu. I promise you I will not forget." The hot spatter of Neji's tears fell over that wrinkled, pale face as Tzu's head rolled away, the dark eyes going distant as a fresh trickle of blood pulsed out with the next breath. _

"_I promise." Neji heaved with sorrow, bowing his head down as he felt the final shudders grip the form beneath him. The wet gurgle was clear to his ears this close to Tzu and he wished desperately that he could block his senses and not know the sights and sounds and scents of this man's death. The coolness of a breeze blowing over his back and the rustle of the leaves above his head distracted him in that vital moment, and it was only the stillness and silence of Tzu's body under him that told him that his friend had passed. _

"_T-thank you, my friend." Neji exhaled a painful breath, trying to keep the sobs at bay. He'd never felt so raw, so useless as he did now. All of his training, and all of his confidence hadn't been enough to free him from captivity, and it hadn't been enough to save the life of a brave and generous man. Rocking back on his heels, he wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, sighing out the pain in his heart. He rested a hand on that quiet chest for just a moment, sending a silent prayer to whatever Kami might be listening. There was one last thing Neji had to do before he set out on his journey again._

_Getting to his feet, he cast one last look at Tzu, before he took the small orb from the pack at his thigh. This was the one thing that all ANBU carried…the means to destroy their bodies lest they be found by an enemy and used against the Village Hidden in the Leaves. How the Uchiha had managed to recover this, he'd never know, but he was grateful beyond words as he held it in his hand and bid the old man farewell. A simple flick of his wrist and the orb was deployed, and he leapt back as the flames roared up, devouring the form beneath. _

'_Farewell.'_

_Even if Yami did follow them now, there would be nothing left of Tzu for them to desecrate. No body to drag back to the village to display in morbid triumph. The brave old man would rest in peace, and that was the least that Neji could do for all that the elder had done for him._

_Wiping what was left of the wetness from his eyes, Neji leapt for the nearest tree branch, heading towards Konoha, navigating by the position of the sun. As he leapt from tree to tree, he tried to force his troubled thoughts to behave. Over and over they returned to the one he'd left behind, tormenting him with his failure to protect and save. So lost was he in his self-pity that he didn't hear the first explosion that sounded in the distance—it was only the echo of the first vibrating into the birth of the second that snapped his head around to stare in the direction of a rocky wasteland._

_For a moment he didn't believe what he was seeing, and his first thought was that he was being attacked from a different direction than he'd expected. Forcing a small bit of his chakra into his eyes he scanned the wasteland, and what he saw made him shudder with tremulous disbelief. _

"_Kakashi-sensei?"_

**And, after a long wait, a very difficult chapter. Putting Naruto and Kakashi into such a difficult place is really very hard, because it makes me just want to hug them and make it all better. Of course, then there wouldn't be any drama, or pain, and both of those will make their coming back together all the more sweet for the time they've spent apart.**

**And they will come back together…in a while…we promise…**

**Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and the encouraging words. They really do mean a lot to both Deathwish and I. Reviews are the fuel that power our brains. **_**Brains!**_

**Thanks for the gas! –K.E.K**

**Well, I hope everyone is enjoyed this chapter! This chapter had a few problems, we felt that it was too much, we found plot-holes, and just both of our everyday lives as well…BUT! Its here and I do think it came out as one of our better chapters. Thank you all for the great reviews, it helped us both out a lot! Thanks to my great co-writer as well!**

**Have a great Halloween and make sure to share that candy with us! ****….. really…give me you candy…. - Deathwish**


	18. Chapter 18

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 18**

**To Hell And Back**

"_I will not bow, I will not break,_

_I will shut the world away._

_I will not fall, I will not fade,_

_I will take your breath away." _

_-'I Will Not Bow' by Breaking Benjamin_

"_Lighting style: False Darkness_!"

Flickering, forked blue energy emerged from the mouth hole in the black creature-shaped entity's mask, the jerking, crackling bolt cutting through earth and stones alike as it made its way towards the Leaf Jounin. Kakashi leapt high into the air, trying to escape the intensity of the blast as he worked to counter yet another one of Kakuzu's attacks. At the apex of his jump Kakashi, clearing the jolt of electrical chakra that could have fried him, flinched, as he caught sight of the speeding shape of one of the creature's hands, launched at him like a shadow spear, headed right towards his mid-section.

_Damnit! _The odds were against them already in this fight, despite the fact that he'd landed a solid _Raikiri_ on the Akatsuki he was fighting. The possibility that this man had more than one 'heart' had never occurred to any of them, but it made Kakuzu four times as dangerous as the laughing screamer he had for a partner. _Got to make this good._ Kakashi thought, his hands beginning to race through the signs to make an earthen wall. _We need to make this a delaying action until we can get Shikamaru's plan into action._

"**Hey**! _**Freak show!**_"

Grateful to see the rogue-nin's attention drawn away from him, Kakashi was able to finish his hand signs, protected from on-coming attack as Kakuzu responded to the snaking shadows zipping over the ground towards him, the frown on that rather disconcerting face indication of his disappointment that he wasn't going to be able to complete his attack on his renowned opponent.

Landing just a few metres away, the stitched nin looked to where the young Nara stood, his hands clasped together as he sought to catch the dodging Akatsuki. When Kakuzu stretched out one of those disturbingly stringy arms of his to grasp at a nearby tree and escape the grip of the _Shadow Possession Jutsu, _Kakashiknew that Shikamaru's gambit had given him just enough time to effect an escape, but nothing more.

Grateful nonetheless for the save, Kakashi's instincts flared briefly and he moved even before the battle shriek sounded, leaping backwards with ground-eating ease, watching as the immortal Akatsuki came after him, that gleam of near-religious insanity glazing the dark red eyes. "**Die, non-believer!"** The one named Hidan shrieked, waving that tri-bladed scythe back and forth like Kakashi was just going to stand still and let him slice him with it.

Lacking his destroyed vest, and short of weapons after his previous dances with Kakuzu, all that Kakashi could do was stay out of range, leading Hidan away from the others, as he searched for options that defeat the enraged man but that didn't involve getting cut in any way.

"Kakashi-sensei!" A yell to his right, and Ino threw just what Kakashi needed. Snatching the speeding kunai out of the air just in time to deflect a potentially lethal swipe, he turned back the blade, denying the Akatsuki's need for blood.

A smile curved his lips as he retreated once more, letting the momentum of Hidan's swing take the scythe down into the ground, burying the blades momentarily so that he could take advantage of the other's lack of self-control. Racing forward, he used the scythe as launching point and infused the kunai Ino had thrown him with his lightning nature, charging it as he descended towards the trapped Akatsuki.

Crowding into the other man to limit his ability to draw blood, Kakashi turned immediately to strike at Hidan's arm, seeking to disable and to amputate, knowing that he couldn't kill with such an injury but it would severely limit the man's ability to fight with his chosen weapon.

The laugh Hidan gave as he turned into Kakashi's strike was chilling in its rising, ululating pitch, and the Jounin had to swallow his dismay as the kunai sank into the Akatsuki's chest instead of his target. The cackling laughter continued as the crazed eyes narrowed on his own mismatched ones and a hand came up to grip Kakashi's wrist, holding him there as Hidan reached into his torn robe and pulled out a compact black rod. When that black rod was flicked out to a short spear, an even more unbalanced cackle was released, and Kakashi felt a slide of fear crawl up his spine.

"_LOOK, MY GOD!"_ Hidan screamed. The wave of the Akatsuki's breath, full of spittle, sprayed over his thankfully masked face and Kakashi pulled back against that grip, his mind racing. "I _WILL NOW GIVE YOU ANOTHER VICTIM FROM THIS NON-BELIEVING WORLD!" _

Kakashi tried to pull away, his fear trying to freeze him, thoughts sliding over the surface of his brain as he weighed and discarded options at an unmatched speed...

"_FOR YOU MY GO…_"

"_Sorry…your god is going to have to wait!"_ Kakashi's calm, focused voice broke through the religious fanaticism possessing the Akatsuki, unfortunately giving him advance notice that his 'victim' was about to counter-attack. Hidan was able to dodge the lightning infused strike, but it did force the man to let him go and Kakashi jumped away, glad to be free.

"**Now, Choji!**"

The young Akimichi came rumbling from behind the tree that had been hiding him from the fanatical Akatsuki, his brown hair lengthening and hardening as he utilized one of his signature jutsus. "_Human Boulder!" _The immense energy displaced by an attack of this style shook the ground beneath Kakashi's feet, and he stood well back as Hidan stared at what was coming his way, the disbelief on that twisted face telling the Jounin this man's ego knew no bounds.

The next few words confirmed that observation as the Akatsuki snarled: "Are you fucking jok…" just as Choji's rolling, armoured form overwhelmed him.

Dust and debris filled the air as Hidan was rammed into the trunk of an enormous tree, both forms disappearing in the billowing cloud of impact just as Ino dashed up to stand beside him. "Sensei, Shikamaru needs your help!"

Kakashi gave a small nod and used his Sharingan to find the gifted ninja. In the next second he was in motion, closing in as he saw one of those disturbing creatures opening its mouth, the unmistakable sign of a fire jutsu forming. Placing himself between Shikamaru and the creature, he raced through the hand signs, the incantation '_Water Style: Water Wall!' _bringing forth a barrier of water from the ground where there was none to be found, a feat of strength and chakra control that did not go unnoticed by their avid Akatsuki foe.

As the fire hit the water, steam was created and Kakashi and Kakuzu lost sight of each other. Kakashi tapped Shikamaru on the shoulder and pointed up at the same time, gaining an immediate and understanding nod from the other Jounin.

The dissipating steam revealed a black shadow stitching across the ground towards the Akatsuki, causing him to leap into the air to avoid being possessed once more. The buzzing, crackling sound of another attack already once utilized to great effect by its user hitched Kakuzu's flight into the air, and Kakashi gave out his war cry as he came closer and closer to the rogue-nin caught in mid-air by his and Shikamaru's combined attacks. "_Lightning Blade!"_

Seeing the Akatsuki's reddened eyes widen as he figured out the attack, prefaced the man's attempt to escape, and a detached hand was launched towards a nearby tree—also a tactic used successfully before.

Except that move had been anticipated, and a disgruntled frown went over that ugly face as the Akatsuki agent saw the explosively tagged kunai that Ino had planted in the tree just before he could grab a hold of it. That delay allowing Kakashi to close the distance between them, his jutsu crackling hungrily on his arm, the flickering blue bolts dancing over his exposed skin.

A low, growling expletive erupted from that stitched face, the lower jaw disturbingly disjointed as Kakuzu made every effort to twist his piecemeal body in a different direction and evade both kunai and _Raikiri._ Sure that he had the Akatsuki just where he needed him to be, Kakashi felt a fierce hope start to rise in his heart…only to have it die a harsh death as the cackling inanity of Hidan interrupted once again…as the other black-clad man launched himself from nearby tree, coming between the silver-haired Jounin and his target.

Shoulder to shoulder they battled it out, Kakuzu regrettably gaining himself time to recuperate his wits as he spun away from the booby trapped tree just as the tag exploded. Knowing that he had to keep an eye on the more-powerful rogue-nin, Kakashi rolled to his feet after touching down, taking the opportunity to use his still active jutsu on Hidan since he'd so carelessly come so close. Kakuzu seemed to be licking his wounds so the silver-haired man dedicated his Sharingan to directing his strike only to have his momentary distraction almost result in having that short, collapsible spear through the upper part of his arm.

"AHH!" Kakashi breathed out a harsh, frustrated gasp as he was unable to use his _Raikiri _ on the weaker of their two opponents either. This was rapidly getting ridiculous…the surprising teamwork of the two Akatsuki confounding their efforts at every turn. The three members of Team Asuma came to watch his back as he recovered his breath, and as he stood, he heard the slightly mocking exchange between the two black-clad men, and he frowned to see the angry reaction on the three young Shinobis' faces.

"What's the matter Kakuzu?" The one called Hidan called out, his voice dripping with over the top sarcasm. "I had to save your ass back there, man. I mean if it wasn't for me you'd only have 3 hearts now. You really suck, man!"

The high, mocking voice carried to the Konoha Shinobi, and Choji's face went red with annoyance, leading Shikamaru to put a quelling hand on his bigger friend's shoulder to calm him down. They were doing their best, fighting against unforeseen and incredible odds—they didn't deserve the disrespect. It seemed that their very creepy opponent didn't like his younger partner's attitude either, for a low growl came from him as he shook out and reattached a partially unstitched hand. "Says the guy who couldn't counter a simple rolling attack….that kid got you cold."

"Wha- oh you saw that...?" The squeal from the younger Akatsuki didn't make Kakashi feel any better. He knew just how close he'd been to having his blood decorate that spear. Shooting a stern, grey, one-eyed look at the young Jounin whose plan he was following, he summoned Shikamaru to his side. "This has to end, we all know that. It's time to put the other part of your plan into action. If we're to have any chance at all against the older one, one of us needs to draw Hidan off and take care of him."

"I'll do it!" He was surprised when the blonde Kunoichi spoke up, though her reasoning that she had the most chakra left was a good one. When the Akimichi also spoke up, he wasn't so surprised, but he was in agreement with Shikaku's son when he shot the both of them down. Though Shikamaru was getting as low on chakra as he was, the plan was his, and it was all that Kakashi could do to believe in the efficacy of that plan and follow it through to its conclusion.

Nodding at the other, younger Jounin, he and the Nara set out to put their assault into action, Kakashi going directly for Kakuzu, another borrowed kunai in his hand as he engaged the more dangerous of the two. He knew that Shikamaru was chasing after Hidan, and he had to trust that the teen would accomplish his goal…a trust that was answered moments later as he saw the dark-haired Jounin race by, the captured Akatsuki disarmed and following helplessly along after him.

A long, slow sigh escaped Kakashi as he blocked yet another blow from Kakuzu. As a Tai-jutsu opponent, the old nin had nothing on Gai, and he was grateful that his Eternal Rival had trained him so well. The trouble was, he had to keep his eye on the three dark creatures as well, and Ino and Choji were proving to be only somewhat of an asset for him in aiding him with that.

When he had to break off for the third time to shove the large teen out of the way of a lightning jutsu, he was just about at his limit. Kakuzu had proven to be surprising resistant to most of his usual tricks, and Kakashi's own chakra was dangerously low. He had just enough for another strike if he got the chance, but so far the stitched man's guard was up, and he wasn't getting in to make the attempt. Being thrown back as he attempted an overhead kick, his attention was drawn by the sight of two of the creatures joining together…the fire nature and the wind nature were going to make a firestorm of an attack if that were allowed to happen.

Cursing low under his breath, he knelt as he made a summoning handsign for a water jutsu he'd picked up in the Land of Rain. It drew the water up and focused it like a knife blade, using the pressure and force of an element that could wear down anything to act like a liquid saw against the conjoined creatures. Just about to finish it, he was knocked back as Kakuzu threw one of his arms at him, the long threads stretching out between them as he tried to prevent Kakashi utilizing his counterattack. He dodged that grip, a grim smile touching his lips as he saw the chakra-enlarged hand of the Akimichi come down between them, that protective gesture saving him from the danger of those threads, even as Choji was thrown back by the Akatsuki's greater experience, the teen rolling away in a cloud of dust that temporarily obscured Kakashi's vision.

Senses on high alert, Kakashi stayed tense as the cloud dissipated, knowing that the next move would come from the two creatures that had formed. The sinuous roar of the wind-driven flames blew back against his skin, driving his hair back from his forehead as he squinted into the red-gold of the flames dancing towards him, and his hands blurred without thought into another jutsu, this one from the Land of Snow.

The ice hadn't even had time to form before the trunks of several of the atrophied trees slammed to the ground between them, and he heard Choji's triumphant shout as the holocaust of wind and flame was turned away, bending back towards the creatures that had birthed it. Kakuzu growled his displeasure in the distance, and the lighting crackled and snapped as Kakashi's head whipped around to follow that blue dancing light and he cursed viciously as the young Akimichi went tumbling back once more, limbs twitching obscenely as the electricity coursed through his nerves and chakra network. Before the Jounin could even gather himself to chase after his fallen teammate, the threads of the old Akatsuki came at him out of the smoke and impaled him in the midsection, other threads winding around his arms and ankles in an attempt to hold him still.

Rattled by the shocking attack, Kakashi fell back, clutching at the threads despite the restraints as they attempted to dig their way into his chest. The fine lines were like needles at the tips, and he pulled backwards at them hard, not wanting them to pierce any further into him than they had on initial impact, pushing into his skin as if they'd targeted his pores as entry points.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The Yamanaka girl's voice broke through his focus, but he didn't spare a thought for her as those needles pierced another quarter centimetre into his skin. Hissing out a cry of discomfort, Kakashi charged a fine edge of lighting to the bottom of his free hand, intending on using it to sever the threads just as the Akatsuki gloated at him, the sick rasp of his voice sliding like spider's legs over the silver-haired man's already raw nerves.

"You destroyed one of my hearts, Kakashi Hatake." That rasping, slithery voice said, the Akatsuki emerging out of the smoke to look at him with those red-ringed green eyes. "So I shall take yours as a replacement."

The shocked gasps of his teammates reverberated in his ears as he glared at his captor, his mind rebelling against the very concept of someone else taking his heart. Throughout this fight he'd deliberately resisted thinking about Naruto…about those blue eyes and golden hair…and the fight that had precipitated his departure from the village. Those words though, they yanked the image of that bewhiskered face from the safest part of his memory and placed it front and centre, and Kakashi tugged harder at the threads impaling him as one overriding thought forced him to try more determinedly to escape.

_His heart could not be taken when he had already given it away. Wherever he was now, he knew that Naruto had it, and that no matter what Kakuzu may manage to take from him…he could not take that._

Seconds that seemed to stretch out to minutes passed as they engaged in their tug-of-war, and in the background, Kakashi could hear Ino murmuring to the big Akimichi teen as she healed him of his minor injuries. They would be coming soon, he knew that, so all he had to do was hold out.

A grunting gasp interrupted his train of thought, and he looked up to see the Akatsuki's face twist in horrified surprise, the green and red eyes narrowing in obvious pain. "What? How is this possible?" The words were directed at Kakashi, and he let a thin smile curve under his mask as he realized what this really meant.

"How did you do this to me?!"

"I didn't." The Jounin replied as the threads began to fall around him, the ones limiting his movement dropping off entirely as Ino appeared to flutter around him, the green glow of healing chakra beginning to charge in her slender hands. "It seems that your partner has done it for us."

There was no small enjoyment in the explanation for why the stitched-together man's heart had just been destroyed, Kakashi darkly reveling in every moment of it. He knew that it was too much to expect this to stop the man and so he ripped the threads from his chest against Ino's advice in order to stand, and put distance between them, watching with a clearly focused mind as the Akatsuki collapsed into a state that truly resembled death.

"Get back." He said to the young Yamanaka, motioning with his hand as the lightning creature came running towards them, the oil slick body dropping down to all fours to gallop at the prone body of their enemy. Kakashi was oddly sickened by the sight of thing oozing into the segmented skin of Kakuzu's back, a visceral reaction he hadn't had in some years in a fight, but his stomach clenched in as he watched, and he heard the teen beside him make an appropriately wretched sound.

"_Eww…"_

Heartily agreeing, he caught at her arm and they both leapt back, understanding just what they were seeing. _This was the tipping point._ Kakashi realized, the fulcrum at which this fight could finally be sent fully in their favour.

"Get back to Choji!" He murmured quickly to the teen at his side, making a pushing motion with his left hand. "Get him onto his feet…he won't stay down for long." His Sharingan eye was focused on the prone body of the Akatsuki before him as he shoved Ino into motion so he didn't miss the first twitch of that form as the lightning creature's heart took the place of the one destroyed by Shikimaru's plan. Kakashi knew that Kakuzu would awake with a furious and desperate need for vengeance on his mind, and he wanted to have space to react to the attack he felt would be imminent.

Seconds later, the Akatsuki did just what he'd predicted he would, the horribly configured body being brought back to its feet, and the green and red eyes opening to fall upon them with baleful focus once more. Profanities spewed from between Kakuzu's lips as full consciousness returned to him, and Kakashi readied himself to attack while his foe was in this weakened condition, charging chakra to his hand even as Ino slipped yet another of her kunai into his other hand.

"Now's the perfect time, right sensei?" The blonde teen murmured, tensing beside him. He spared her a glance out of the corner of his grey eyes, seeing the determination harden on that young face. Kakashi allowed himself a second to appreciate Inoichi's daughter, for though she was not a brawler even of Sakura's status, she had done her best to stick by him and assist in their battle.

"Right." He responded, and started forwards, near-Shunshin speed rendering him a blur.

The conjoined creature rose to intervene in his attack, and Kakashi was surprised to see the giant hands of the Akimichi smash the dark form into the ground as he dashed past. He couldn't stop to see what happened next, but the gurgling cry the teen let out was more than enough of a clue. Indeed, the scuttling black creature bounded past him to its master, standing behind the hulking form of Kakuzu as Kakashi closed ground between them.

What happened next nearly arrested the Jounin's attack for the Akatsuki began to reabsorb the creature, the segmented skin rippling and moving about like the tiles of a mobile Shogi board, but in a far more sickening manner. Knowing that he couldn't waste this moment of distraction, Kakashi continued his forward momentum, the blue flicker of chakra brightening over his hand as he plunged through the air, propelled by the power of his own chakra. He avoided the protective plunge of a suddenly longer arm at him, and spun as he leapt into mid-air, gaining the high ground behind his enemy before Kakuzu could react. The advantage only lasted mere seconds, but it was enough for his Lightning Blade to penetrate the Fire Mask, cracking it, and destroying the heart beneath before one of those elongated arms swatted Kakashi back as if he was a fly.

Tumbling at an insane speed across the ground, he tried to control the spinning of his body with judicious use of chakra, slowing himself bit by bit so that when the inevitable tree stopped him cold, he didn't hit it quite so hard. Every bone in his body still felt as if it had been jarred loose though, and his ears rang as the back of his skull impacted the trunk, but at the very least he had the satisfaction of knowing that he'd taken out another one of those hearts.

_Three down…_Kakashi thought, coughing to clear the dust from his throat as he gathered himself to move. _Two to go._

Gaining his feet, he concentrated his chakra on sensing the others, finding his teammates and then moving on desperately for his foe but, as the dust began to clear Kakuzu found him, the long threads appearing out of the ground beneath his feet and snaring him tightly.

Kakashi was jerked along, yanked through the air, gasps and cries signaling the capture of the two teens as well, so he wasn't surprised to see Ino and Choji in the same trouble he was in when he could focus again. Before them stood the grossly disfigured form of the Akatsuki, the man—if that was what he could still be called—was segmented like a reconstructed gorilla, those long, thick arms hanging down to the ground, and disjointed like some mad butcher had tried to tie them back together.

The Akatsuki roared then, the rictus mouth opening as he shivered and shook in reaction to the loss of his heart. "**I was just going to take your heart, Kakashi!" **Kakuzu growled, the fury surging through him vibrating the strings that held the silver-haired Jounin captive. **"But no more! **_**No more!"**_

"Now I'll just kill you all, slowly and painfully…and in the end you'll be begging me to take your heart, you bastard…to take your heart and end the pain. Begging me to…"

The fury of spinning blue energy and whirling water completely drowned out the Akatsuki's cry of surprise, filling the clearing with such a tumultuous sound that Kakashi almost missed the combined voices of his teammates, Yamato's water jutsu and the blessed raspiness of Naruto's shout of '_Rasengan!'_

A waterspout of immense power roared between them, completely devastating the threads from the earth jutsu that had held him bound. The shimmer of chakra that had been on either side of him abruptly disappeared, the after-image of his other teammates' chakra like a swift-flying bird that came and darted away with Choji and Ino, taking them to safety before him. That suited him fine, and as he fell to the earth, he began to gather the energy needed to take himself away, too, but the sudden approach of a very vibrant chakra made Kakashi freeze just where he was.

He wasn't expecting Naruto to appear out of the cloud of water and dirt like a grimy ray of sunshine, that gilded hair almost the only thing visible as a solid, muscular form threw itself at him, strong arms wrapping around his neck in the briefest, most heart-stopping embrace the silver-haired man had ever known. For an instant, Naruto was in his arms, pressed against him in a hug that felt so desperate and so relieved that Kakashi knew the welling of those same emotions like a tidal wave in his heart. But, before he could even bring his own hands up to touch-to hold that longed-for body against his own—Naruto was gone and he was being dragged away to safety as the heavy, water-impregnated dirt _plip plop, plopped_ back to the ground.

…KNKNKN…

Looking up as Naruto disappeared into the rising waterspout, Sakura squinted, hoping to see the signal silver hair of their sensei, the man alive and well and being dragged back by their hard-charging teammate. All of them had been worried about Kakashi-sensei, but she'd never seen Naruto so focused and so intent upon getting to their destination. She'd known all along that it could be considered a rescue mission, and that they might arrive to bad news, but Naruto had been so obviously worried all the way here it had only fed her own anxieties.

For a brief moment the steam thinned enough for her to see the blaze of Naruto's distinctive hair, and she narrowed her gaze, ignoring the recovering Ino under her hands in the quest to see her sensei's distinctive silhouette. Squinting harder, Sakura thought she saw it just beyond Naruto's and…and…

Sakura's heart flipped in her chest as she glimpsed, just for that heartbeat, those gold and silver heads, leant so close together that there was no other explanation for it. No other way that she could explain just how they were forehead-to-forehead and face-to-face without, _without—_

_She and Ino had never figured out just who Naruto was dating had they? Lee and her, they'd talked about it, but none of the other girls had been acting any differently. _

_Was this why?_

_Were Naruto and Kakashi-sensei…__**seeing**__ each other?_

…KNKNKN…

Standing beside Yamato, Kakashi watched as the golden-haired teen tried again and again to defeat their foe. Despite his comrade's reassurance that Naruto could do this, he couldn't help but worry each time that lithe figure charged forwards, haring off towards Kakuzu with seemingly reckless speed and, indeed, he'd had to charge forwards the once to rescue him, dragging him back to safety. The Jounin asked himself if he was going to regret sending his other teammates off to back-up Shikamaru, for Sai and Sakura were fresh and ready, and Kakashi was beginning to wonder if he might just need them here.

To his amazement though, he could see with his own eye how far his determined love had progressed—how Naruto had learned from his lessons on the proper use of clones, and witness that mind spark and turn behind those blue eyes—and _learn _from what was happening.

And Kakashi learned, too. He learned that the teen had made a huge leap forwards in the invention of his own signature move when he heard '_**Rasenshuriken!**_' for the very first time and the shrieking of the disturbed air filled his ears.

The immense, awesome glory of that jutsu as Naruto descended through the air with it battered at all of Kakashi's worries, eliminating them in a fell swoop as the sound vibrated through his skull and twinged at every one of his nerves. The sight of it in his Sharingan was even more remarkable, and he was instantly aware of the fact that he was staring in awe as he tried to dissect the nature of the chakra within it, but even Kakashi of a Thousand Jutsus was forced to give up at the complexity of what he saw before him, throwing up a protective jutsu of his own to keep the aftershock from hitting them all.

Dirt and debris fell around them as Naruto came back to the earth, sprawling between Kakashi and Yamato, a huge, huge grin on his beautiful face. One grey eye fixed upon his love as the silver-haired man waited for the dust to settle so that he could see what had happened to the Akatsuki member. Sensing no chakra from where that mal-formed individual had landed, he spared the moments it took to reassure himself that Naruto was all right, crouching beside the panting teen to take in the eager curiosity in those vibrant blue eyes. "I got him! I got him, right!?" He panted. "I know that I got him!"

"You got him." Kakashi answered softly, his fingers curling in on themselves as they itched to ruffle that dirty blond hair. "No doubt about it."

A gasp behind him, brought Kakashi's head up and he moved seamlessly into a protective stance over Naruto as Yamato and the recovered Ino suddenly moved through the thinning haze of debris, heading for the far side of the clearing. Squinting, he saw the outline of a man there, and it took no more than the minor scan with his chakra to recognize one of Gai's students.

"Neji?" Kakashi murmured, feeling a hand clasp the back of his pant leg as Naruto endeavoured to sit up. "It's the Hyuuga boy."

"What's Neji doing out here?" He heard Naruto ask, the weight of the teen's head coming to rest against his thigh. In that moment of mutual wonder, it seemed that all of their problems had been forgotten, and Kakashi allowed himself time to appreciate that unfettered access, the aching that he had so far ignored in the chambers of his heart coming back to him full force now that the adrenaline was ebbing from his blood.

"He was on a mission." The Jounin answered. "I remember Gai mentioning that he was overdue to come back."

"He doesn't look good." Came the reply, just as the painfully thin teen collapsed into Yamato's arms. Ino knelt immediately beside him, her hands glowing green with replenished healing chakra.

"No…he doesn't."

Silence was their companion then for a bit, the two of them together as they watched the others fuss over the wounded teen, the remnants of what could only be an ANBU uniform hanging in tatters from lanky form. "He'll be all right, though." Kakashi finally said, having taken a good look at the injured Shinobi with his Sharingan before closing that lid again.

"Naruto, I…"

The sudden stiffness and abrupt withdrawal of that golden head leaning against him stilled Kakashi's voice, and he fought to hide the distressed thump his heart gave at that not-so subtle signal. Pulling his shoulders back, the Jounin rotated his neck then, using the motion to centre all of what he was feeling back into the business of being a Shinobi. "Right, then…" Stepping away from Naruto scored him to his very bones, and he wanted nothing more than to step back into the heat of that contact, but he forced himself to turn away, Kakashi's feet carrying that distance to the edge of the crater the massive jutsu had created, and then into the very bowl of it.

At the centre was the ruined remains of Kakuzu; taker of hearts, and self-proclaimed fighter of legend. Once of the Akatsuki, and now a shattered tatter of a thing that might have been called a man, he lay there at Kakashi's feet, his breathing a wet rattle of disintegrating lungs, those red-hued green eyes staring up at the sky above. "I have been defeated by a child." Kakuzu rasped, the tone of disbelief thick in the air. "A child!"

"The next generation always surpasses the last." Kakashi replied softly. "That is an inescapable truth you have avoided for far too long. And that _child_ has more of the Will of Fire in him than any five Leaf Shinobi that have ever had the misfortune of meeting you." A kunai appeared in his hand as he leant in, the sharp edge of the honed weapon gleaming in the sunshine as a mutual understanding closed over both Shinobis' faces.

"Make it quick." The Akatsuki grumbled.

And Kakashi quietly complied.

…KNKNKN…

_It had worked!_ The Rasenshuriken had been able to destroy the Akatsuki…but not without a very painful price. Naruto's right arm was broken, he was sure of it. When he'd rammed his new jutsu into the back of the enemy, he'd felt a corresponding vibration in his hand and arm. It'd felt like someone was stabbing him as fast as they could with senbon needles, not letting up until his arm was a limp and useless mess…but it had worked! _It had worked!_ And he could not suppress the wide grin that spread across his face at that thought.

Resting against the trunk of one of the dead trees surrounding the battle ground, Naruto's grin faded from his face as he took in the people around him, studiously ignoring the silver-haired man that had stayed so close to him, and concentrating instead on everyone else. Sakura was fussing over him now that she'd returned with Sai and Shikamaru and his triumphant news. She'd healed him as best as she could and was carefully wrapping his arm in a sling. Naruto had lost count of how many times she'd warned him to keep it still or she'd knock him unconscious and have him carried back, so now he was just nodding automatically, agreeing with everything that she said, and avoiding those green eyes that seemed to stare at him almost accusingly.

_Sheesh…just what was Sakura's problem, anyways? He'd promised he'd keep it still!_

Ino and Choji were with Neji, and the Hyuuga looked even worse than Naruto did, the bandaging the long-haired teen had accumulated far outdid his own. Yamato stood near Kakashi as they watched over the destroyed clearing, keeping a careful eye.

His captain had been by earlier, his voice droning in Naruto's ears to beat Sakura's as Yamato went on and on about how careful he should be with his new move, but the teen hadn't really listened to the lecture the brown-haired Jounin had given him, for his thoughts had been elsewhere.

He couldn't stop wondering now what Kakashi was thinking and feeling. Naruto's heart had been beating so hard all of the way here, because he'd been so worried, and to see his boyfriend at the mercy of that weird, scary Akatsuki had made him so mad! But he'd defeated that guy, and saved Kakashi and the others, and…_damn it! _He was still wondering what the other man was thinking, and he'd been pondering that ever since the man had returned from the depths of the crater, an inscrutable gleam in that single grey eye.

Kakashi and the captain had talked together quietly after that, before Yamato had taken a storage scroll from his Jounin vest and gone down into the crater. When he'd returned, the scroll had disappeared, and the two Jounin had paused and conversed some more before returning to the rest of them.

Naruto forced his eyes away from Kakashi and back to Neji, giving up the sight of his silver-haired boyfriend before he was caught staring at him by anyone else. The other teen looked like he had been through hell and back in the last few weeks. Paler than normal, and definitely weakened, the Hyuuga had huddled with Yamato as well, and the information that had been exchanged between the two men had caused the brown-haired Jounin to frown.

And then they'd looked at him.

_Everybody always seemed to be looking at him. _Naruto sighed, getting to his feet finally, as it seemed the others were about to head back to Konoha. He was ready then, when Sakura came to stand beside him, her eyes sidling sideways to look at him, too. "What?" He whined, at his limit for the day, what with Kakashi and all. "Why are you staring at me like that? I've got my arm up just like you ordered me to."

Taking her time in responding to her teammate, it was on the tip of Sakura's tongue to just ask what he and Kakashi-sensei were to each other. But this was Naruto she was talking to, and she knew that he would not get the subtlety of even that question, so she shook her head and let the matter drop. As much as the idea of those two men being in a relationship with each other aroused a curiosity within her, Sakura knew that confronting either of them head on wasn't going to do her any good.

Kakashi-sensei could obfuscate to the point where she'd just want to kill him, and Naruto…Naruto would just run away and hide.

Besides…she knew her blond teammate well enough by now to know that something was wrong. The teen that could never keep his mouth shut was far too quiet right now, and the way those blue eyes of his kept sliding furtively towards their sensei and then away again told her that that was where his trouble lay. It had taken her a long time get to know Naruto the way that she did now, and despite her need to sometimes smack him, Sakura would do anything to make sure that he was happy.

Shaking her head at herself, she set out beside her teammate, keeping to the back with Naruto as they trudged back towards the village, the trials of the day making their steps collaboratively slow.

There would be time once they got back to Konoha for her to investigate further. And for her to do some super Shinobi-style snooping into her teammates private lives. Musing quietly, her gaze upon her feet, Sakura truly considered what it would mean to her if these two important guys in her life were involved with each other. She considered their histories, and their lives and, in the end…Kakashi-sensei's and Naruto's happiness were way more important than anything else she could think of.

"Hey, Sakura?" The raspy voice interrupted her musings and she looked over to take in a too-familiar look of uncertainty on that whisker-scarred face.

"Yeah, Naruto?"

"My jutsu…it was pretty cool, right?"

It was so easy for her to hear the need for reassurance in that halting tone, and so she reached out impulsively to ruffle some of that dirty blond hair. "Yeah, Naruto…it was pretty cool all right. It really shook everything up."

The pleased giggle she got for her comment, and the wide grin lightened Sakura's heart as they walked along together, and she couldn't help but think that it hadn't just been that enormous shockwave that had shaken everything up…what she'd seen in the dust and the steam had kind of shaken her up as well…and made her think about a bunch of whole new stuff. _Well, that __**was**__ Naruto for her. Always the number one most unpredictable ninja!_

…KNKNKN…

The soft voices of the two that had once been his students reached Kakashi's ears where he walked alongside of Tenzou. Under his mask, he smiled slightly, recalling all of the moments they'd had together in the last seven years. Lurking in his heart was the ache he was feeling for Naruto, and the warm, tentative steps they'd taken in having a real relationship before the Kyuubi's revelation had torn them apart, and he wished that he could just drop by and explain to Naruto why everything had happened the way that it did.

In fact, he was musing on just doing that when Tenzou's bemused voice interrupted his thoughts. "Give him time, Kakashi." The other man counseled, and the silver-haired Jounin looked to the man beside him, taking in the sight of the restfully sleeping Hyuuga teen draped over his back.

"Give him time and he'll come around." Tenzou repeated, grinning unashamedly, those knowing brown eyes bringing a slight heat to Kakashi's pale cheeks. "I've never seen anyone work as hard as that kid did in order to be a part of the team that backed you up! That kid…he _loves_ you." Looking off into the distance, the shorter man smiled again, as if he could see something that was escaping Kakashi's eye just then. "If I doubted it earlier, my old comrade, I have no doubts now…"

The pleased heat that swelled in the silver-haired Jounin's body made an answering smile appear on his lips under his mask, and Kakashi allowed his friend's words to reassure him. Anything that came before this could be forgiven, for that admission was tantamount to an apology for what Tenzou had done, and now Kakashi was willing to let it go. _There was hope in the other man's words. _He realized. _Naruto still did love him._

Turning his eyes towards the path ahead of them, as Tenzou had done, Kakashi let that hope fill him. He didn't know if he was being fanciful and foolish, hoping for forgiveness where there might not be any…but he did know just one thing for sure: He was going to do everything that he could to get that forgiveness.

_No matter what it took._

**Well, that is the chapter! I hope everyone one enjoyed this chapter! King worked extremely hard on this chapter and I think everything came out perfect, but what do you guys think? Please leave a review, I really enjoyed reading what you guys had to say about the last chapter. Thanks everyone - Deathwish**

**Whew! Difficult chapter to write. I really don't write a lot of action scenes, so those were doozies for me! You'll notice that this is definitely a mixture of canon and what we really wanted to see happen, so Ino and Choji are a bit more helpful, and our favourite Jounin kicks a bit more Akatsuki ass!**

**This one has been a long time coming, so I hope that our readers like this chapter. Thanks for sticking with us, and for your lovely reviews. Hope to see you sooner. KEK**


	19. Chapter 19

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 19**

**Until the End**

"_It feels like a dream, how did things all get so crazy?_

_I'm remembering before when I felt so clean._

_Alone in my room, it feels like the walls are closing in._

_I'm thinking of you 'cause I know what'll happen soon."_

_Outta Control-by tfk _

"My rival!" A shiver travelled down Kakashi's back as Gai shouted at him from across the street, both of the man's thumbs stabbing upwards in the air as he gave him of those blinding smiles. Sighing, shrugging in resignation of his fate, the silver-haired Jounin made his way to his green-clad friend, closing the book in his hand and tucking it away so that he could run his hand through his more messy than usual hair. This was the fourth day in a row that they'd met up for one of Gai's _'youthful challenges', _and the sixth day in a row that Kakashi had successfully avoided seeing Naruto…_thus far._

Despite his being ordered to take it easy after returning from the battle, he couldn't do that; the need to be active and be useful stronger and more impossible to resist than it usually was. The Hokage had ordered him specifically to not leave the village, so accepting missions had been eliminated as an escape route, and so he'd given in to Gai's invitations to these challenges as a way to blank his mind from other…more important…things.

Coming to a halt in front of Gai, Kakashi let a rising silver brow speak for him as he silently inquired what they'd be up to today. The other Jounin spun in a complete circle in delighted acknowledgment before shouting "All right, Ka-Ka-Shi! Today we will be seeing who can do the most pushups in five minutes! _**Five minutes**_! Are you up for that, my Eternal Rival?!"

The sparkle off those perfectly white teeth nearly dazzled Kakashi, but he nodded his agreement, recognizing one of his friend's favorite challenges, and followed the green blur of the other man as he took off towards the training field at the top of the mountain. It was generally quiet on the plains above the Hokage heads, so Kakashi was surprised when he saw both Lee and Sakura waiting for them up there. He, of course, knew that his former student was dating Gai's prodigy, but hadn't expected that she would be here to witness this challenge. There was barely time for a '_mah'_ of surprise though, before the battle was declared to have begun…the young Genin was ready with a stopwatch and a stone that he threw into the air… the moment it touched the ground both men had to throw themselves down.

As Kakashi was pushing his body up from the ground, he tried to use the repetitive motion to stop thinking about the week he'd had, and about the way that Naruto had shied away from him in the aftermath of the battle. He was trying to use the exercise as he had before, to lose his conscious thoughts and emotions to the simple stretch of his biceps and triceps, and in the flattening of his belly and his upper thighs, so that visions of blond hair and blue eyes wouldn't haunt him. The teen had seemed to be ever at the edge of his senses when he was out and about, and in the corners of his apartment-that happy chortle echoing, whenever the Jounin retreated there to hide.

He'd been eminently grateful to Gai for his successive series of distractions once he'd been booted from the hospital—_or escaped, as the case may be-_not that he'd ever told him so, but the way that that 1000 Watt smile beamed his way every day let him know that his friend knew that. Even now, as he rose up to the ends of his arms, and blew out a breath, he thanked Gai silently for giving him one more reason for not having to think.

And for giving him the perfect excuse to give Naruto some time.

"Fingertips, my Eternal Rival!" Gai sang out, interrupting Kakashi's efforts to not think. By the silver-haired man's reckoning only two minutes had elapsed since the stone had fallen, so he glanced at his green-clad opponent to see that he was, indeed, up on his fingertips now. Effortlessly he moved to match him, and then one-upped him, switching to his thumbs.

"Ooo…_thumbs!"_ He heard Lee coo admiringly, and then an immediate curse from his friend as he moved to follow.

"You are too cool, Kakashi!" The other Jounin groaned, and then doubled his pace. "But I **will** defeat you!"

…KNKNKN…

This was the first time that Sakura had had a chance to get up close with her sensei since he'd been released from the hospital and she took advantage of being his spotter to really look him over. He was pale, verging on wan, and he seemed thinner to her sharp medic's eye. She wanted to yell at him right away for agreeing to these stupid challenges except that she had a very good idea why Kakashi was doing them. Sakura had kept true to her plan to skulk around after her teammates, and after nearly four days of doing so, she'd learned very little…but that very little had told her a whole lot.

Naruto and Kakashi _were_ avoiding each other. They were each going to great lengths to be in different parts of the village so that they wouldn't come across each other. She had a very good idea that her sensei was doing it to spare Naruto's feelings, and that Naruto was doing it for exactly the _same_ reason. It made her a little mad.

Oh, okay…a lot mad.

Not only was it harder to keep on spying on the two of them, but she was worried about the toll it was taking on the both of them. That's why she'd wriggled her way into helping Lee with this challenge—so she could see her teacher up close and judge his health for herself. The man wasn't dying, but she didn't like the dark circle that she could see under that one, visible eye.

_Had Naruto gotten to see what was under that mask? Had they even…kissed?_

Sakura didn't want to feel the jealousy and the anger that was making her voice tight as she counted off the last of her sensei's push-ups. And she didn't want to respond to the blank face on the reticent man with the silver hair that was accepting the accolades for winning yet again. Kakashi was gone within seconds of the declaration, the amazingly fast blur of his Shunshin taking him off to parts unknown. She frowned as he disappeared, followed moments later by Gai-sensei as he went off to pout over his loss and plan for tomorrow while he was taking his punishment laps around Konoha. "We're going to have to do something, Lee." Sakura announced, closing the distance between her and her slightly bewildered guy to hand back the stopwatch. "Those two are getting pathetic."

Dark brows drew down as those deep brown eyes gazed at her, and the confusion on Lee's face told her that he'd misunderstood just who she was talking about. "Not Gai and Kakashi, silly boy." Sakura laughed softly, leaning just those few inches more to kiss Lee on the cheek, letting the affection she felt for her boyfriend show in the smile on her lips. _"Naruto_ and Kakashi, remember?!"

There was only one person she'd told about her suspicions when she returned to the village, only one person that she'd trusted to keep the secret she'd discovered so accidentally. "Lee, we have to do something to get those two back together! Can't you see how miserable they are?"

"Our formerly enthusiastic friend _is_ too quiet." Lee responded, taking one of her hands into his calloused one and kissing the back of it gently. "Naruto likes to announce himself loudly, and lately he's lurking around the village more like a member of ANBU than the exuberant Shinobi that he has always been. There is no hot wind of summer inside of his belly anymore."

"No…" Sakura agreed, going easily into Lee's arms when he held them out for her and resting her head against his shoulder. "The only question now is, what exactly are we going to do?"

…KNKNKN…

Neji could only stare at the ceiling above him, his silver eyes blank with boredom and resignation as he lay there with his arms were folded behind his head. Hospitals _sucked—_not that he would ever say such a word out loud—but, it was true. This wasn't the first time he'd been in one, but he really hoped that this would be his last. Hours of extreme monotony broken only by the delivery of bad food, and minutes of annoying, fussing med-nins that he'd rather would leave him to the boredom again.

When the door to his hospital room opened completely off schedule, Neji rolled over to see an ANBU member walk in and lean back against the wall, the man crossing his arms over his chest as the dark eyes behind cat-painted mask alertly scanned the surroundings.

"Eagle!" Neji burst out with joy in his voice, glad to see the man. The dark eyes switched to him, but his captain didn't speak, the reason for his silence becoming obvious as a shadow darkened the door and then the Hokage walked through. Neji had already given a report to Eagle when he'd first awakened, and the man had cautioned him to not tell anyone else until they had a chance to talk to the Hokage, so it seemed that this was that time, and he tried to sit himself just a little higher in his hospital bed as the woman's heels tapped, tapped, tapped across the floor towards him.

"Take it easy kid."

Kakashi-sensei's very recognizable tenor shocked Neji and his head whipped towards the window where the older Jounin was sitting on the sill. Silver eyes stared in astonishment for a moment at the sight, for Neji was surprised by the way he'd been taken unawares. "Oh, er, sensei, I…"

"Never mind that, Hyuuga!" Tsunade-sama's terse, sharp voice drew Neji back from his awkward apology to the Copy Nin to stare at his leader, and he saw on her face the worry and the concern that a good Hokage should have for their people and stilled his tongue, awaiting another order. Dark amber eyes stared down at him as she stopped beside his bed, before they darted assessingly over him, temporarily becoming those of a med-nin, the instinct still within her despite the heavy robe she wore.

"Your captain has told me of your news regarding a certain rogue Konoha Shinobi." Those hard eyes were honey-coloured now, but Neji still swallowed nervously as they focused on him once more. "I understand the wish you might have to talk about this, young man, but I will only say this to you this one time. You will _**not **_speak of this to anyone. You will **not** say that man's name in any context mentioning his help or his role in your escape. You will, in fact, completely _forget_ that it ever happened and future renditions of how you escaped will be vague because of the head trauma you received…_understood?"_

The presence of the other two men in the room indicated to Neji that there would only be these three people that would ever know the truth now, and as he found his voice to state his understanding of his orders, he saw his captain and Kakashi-sensei both nod their compliance. He knew that secrets were the way of the Shinobi, but this was perhaps the biggest one that he'd ever been on the edges of.

"Good." The Hokage's face softened at his capitulation, and she gave him a brief smile. "Now, I know that you're champing at the bit to get out of here but, you've got another couple of days before that happens. Take it easy, and enjoy the crappy food, kid. It's better than what you were eating in that cave."

And just like that, Tsunade-sama was gone, the click of her heels fading down the corridor outside, leaving Neji alone with the other two men…

_One_ man, for the Hatake was gone, too, as silently as he had come, and when he turned he half-expected that Eagle would be gone, too, but the man was still there, and as Neji watched he detached himself from the wall and sauntered towards him, pushing the painted mask up and away from his face.

"We both know that you know who I am." He smiled. "And Kakashi knows who I am, if he'd bothered to stick around, so why bother with the mask? In fact…" Swinging a chair around, Yamato straddled it backwards, grinning easily at his teammate. "I suspect that you've known for a while."

Neji lowered his head. ANBU weren't supposed to know who each other were, but when his Byakugan was active during the team's first mission, he'd seen everyone's chakra signature. "Sorry, Yamato-taicho." He said in a low voice as he looked back up to the Mokuton user.

Yamato gave a small laugh as he shifted the chair closer to the bed. "That's okay, Neji, I'm pretty sure my Wood-style would have given me away anyway. The masks really are a formality now." The man shifted a bit, coughing to clear his throat, signaling a change to a new topic . "Obviously, you can see that the Hokage has read your report."

Neji sat up straighter, nodding to show Yamato that he was listening, meeting the other man's dark eyes.

"I don't know why he helped me, or what he would achieve from all of this." Neji said, referencing Itachi without directly speaking his name. "He took my side against his own people—surely the Akatsuki would suspect that he'd done something to help me?" Struggling to sit up, Neji slid his legs around under the sheet to drape them over the side of the bed. Now, he was able to look straight at Yamato and have a proper conversation.

"Still…" He sighed, surprised by how weak he was, just the act of moving his legs around had almost winded him. "I am glad he helped me. Without him, things would have been worse…"

Yamato's grin concealed his doubts over Neji's optimism that he could have still escaped as he turned his memories to his first sight of the teen he'd had on the battlefield a few days ago. He was glad to see him stronger, and clear-headed after his ordeal, especially since Neji had all but collapsed at his feet, but he knew that the young Hyuuga still had a ways to go yet. "You're right about that." Yamato replied, talking around the topic. "But since our team in on hiatus while I serve with Kakashi's team, you will have the necessary time to recuperate."

The Hokage would need to have the time to discuss with the other Hidden Villages what to do about the Akatsuki's presence in the Land of Grass. Until they reached a consensus on what action to take, every Shinobi would be in a holding pattern of search and observe.

And he had more training with Team Kakashi.

"Yeah." Neji sighed again. "That means back to the compound." Where Hinata would fuss over him, and have them make his favourite foods. It would be nice, except for his uncle being there. "But, hey…!" A thought made him cheer up, and he shared a hopeful grin with his ANBU captain. "Maybe Gai-sensei will want to do some training with me, and I won't be stuck there all of the time."

A moment of awestruck silence between the two of them brought the sounds of the hospital around them into crystal clarity as both men considered that statement. When Yamato began to laugh, the rich, helpless amusement rolling off of him in shuddering waves, Neji realized just how desperate that option sounded, and he almost felt as if he should cry for preferring that option, except, well…the other one **was** his _uncle…_

…KNKNKN…

The sound of her fist on the door of her teammate's apartment was a little louder than might otherwise be necessary, but Sakura was a little fed up after tracking Naruto all over the village today. After getting an eyeful of their sensei during his competition with Gai, she was more determined than ever to confront her friend and make sure that he wasn't doing any worse than Kakashi was.

"Naruto! I know that you're in there." She banged a little harder, and on the floor below a door opened. Sakura could almost feel the silent interest of the inhabitant of that apartment—no doubt standing in the open doorway and staring upwards at where she stood. There was no way for her to tell if that person had been friendly or not towards her teammate, but her fist tightened involuntarily as she thought of the 'not' and what consequences she could mete out to them if they'd ever hurt him.

"Naruto…open up! Honestly, I'm not just standing out here for the great view!"

It **was** pretty fantastic from up here, the balcony almost like a spear that pointed out over the village with the buildings spread out beneath, but Sakura wasn't going to let the temptation of standing and staring keep her from what she'd come to do. Raising her hand to knock one more time, she stopped mid-motion as she heard the lock release, and then two very tired-looking blue eyes peered out at her through the widening crack in the door. "Hey." Sakura said softly. "Wanna let me in?"

"Yeah, sure." Brushing a hand through his tousled blond hair, Naruto stood back from the door, letting his teammate past him and on into his apartment. It was dark and quiet inside, the shades drawn over his windows, for he'd been sleeping a lot ever since they'd come back from getting Kakashi, telling himself that he was letting his arm heal, but really he was trying to avoid thinking.

_Kakashi…_ Despite his best efforts at distraction, his mind had been determined all of this time to dwell on the man that he'd fallen in love with. Days spent wandering Konoha, without seeing Kakashi had been both good and bad, but since there wasn't anyone that he could talk to about it, he'd felt almost as lonely as he had as a little kid. _He __**was**__ lonely… _

Shaking his head clear of thoughts of the silver-haired man, Naruto tried to concentrate on what Sakura might be doing here instead. He pulled the single chair that he had out from his table for her to sit on and then went to plop down on his bed, memories of the night that he and his boyfriend had spent on this floor on New Year's Eve flickering through the back of his mind. "What can I do for you, Sakura? I've…been kinda tired."

The small noise his teammate made was so reminiscent of his Baa-chan that Naruto had to stop himself from checking over his shoulder to make sure that the Hokage actually wasn't there with them. The notion made him smile reluctantly, to know that Sakura had taken more than just her prodigious strength and her talent for healing from Tsunade-sama made him even more proud of her.

"Heh…" He couldn't stop the quiet hiccup of a laugh when it came, glad for a bit of amusement in an otherwise shadowy day. "You sounded like Baa-chan there."

Sakura _tchh_'d in response to his teasing, her cheeks flushing a little in pleasure at the compliment. "Well, no more than you sometimes sound like Jiraiya-sama." She responded, a challenge glittering in her green eyes.

"I do not!" Naruto yelled, all of those grey thoughts he'd been having flying out of his head. "You take that back! I'm nothing like…like…that pervy old man!"

They laughed together, two good friends that could count on each other through tough times and good ones, They'd practically grown up together, and Naruto had become so much like a brother to her, that Sakura's heart ached to see just how he looked now that he'd let her in and the laughter had faded away.

"Naruto, I…" It was funny how her courage faded, too, just looking into those way-too weary eyes. As good a pair of friends as they were, they didn't talk about stuff like this, mostly because she was too embarrassed, and Naruto was too shy. But, Sakura hadn't come here today to **not** talk to her teammate, and so she gathered up her courage just as she'd had to do many times during her medic training, and she plunged onwards, trying to choose just the right words.

"Naruto, when we were on the mission I think I saw something that we should really talk about."

"Huh?" There were those blue eyes again, not so bright as they usually were, and not so open either.

"I saw you and Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, right after we got there." Leaning forwards in her chair, Sakura fixed her gaze upon her teammate, demanding his full attention. "You hugged him, Naruto, I saw the both of you out there on the field. You were hugging."

_And it hadn't just been a worry-hug, or a family-hug, Sakura knew what both of those looked like. That had been a 'Kami, I love you!' hug, if she'd ever seen one._

Judging by the scarlet flush that started from the blond's collar and worked its way right up to his hair, Sakura was exactly right, and when Naruto started to stammer and stutter, and deny everything, she got up from her chair to perch right beside him on his bed. "Listen, Naruto…I think it's all right if you and Kakashi-sensei have…_feelings_ for each other."

The noises the blond was making were only climbing in volume as that golden skin got redder and redder and hands were waved in desperate denial under her nose. Grabbing the casted one, lest she get knocked out, Sakura attempted to hold Naruto still long enough for her words to sink through her teammate's thick skull. "I was trying to **say** that I think you looked kinda cute together, you idiot! Now stop trying to hit me with this thing!" She forced the injured arm back into her friend's lap and held it there as he slowly ran out of nonsensical things to blabber at her and his words began to make sense again.

_Heh heh_ "Sakura, what're you talking about?!" _heh hehhhh_ "Kakashi and I aren't…aren't…" Wriggling uncomfortably, Naruto tried to look anywhere but at the other teen, his eyes scouring almost every inch of his apartment before he attempted to look at his teammate again. She was still gazing at him steadily, her green eyes calm, but he could see the determination in them that he talk with her about this, and Naruto knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get out of this without fleeing for his life.

"Er, honestly, Sakura…" That big, wide grin that nearly split his face in two did not fool the other teen for a moment, and when Naruto opened his eyes again, one slender, pink brow was slanting up to her hairline as she waited for his shenanigans to end. He gulped, and flinched visibly when his teammate reached out to touch him, the involuntary reaction shucking him right off of his bed and onto the floor where he stared up at her and tried to find the right words to say.

Any words to say, really.

"I, uh, don't know what you think you saw, but you really didn't see what you saw, 'cause, y'know…there was nothing there to see." _Heh heh_

"Naruto…" There it was again, that uncanny, steely resemblance to his Baa-chan, and that withered any resistance Naruto might have had left, leaving him gaping and trembling slightly on the floor.

Sakura sighed, whatever determination that had carried her this far was fading fast in the face of her friend's desperate obfuscation. The other teen was completely embarrassed now. So red in the face that his normal orange clothes had nothing on the obnoxious glare of his skin as he practically fell apart in front of her. "Oh, Naruto…"

Slowly her shoulders dropped as the realization that she wasn't going to get anywhere talking to her friend overcame her eagerness to help. This was rapidly becoming one of those times where she had to talk **at** her teammate instead of talking _to_ him, and Sakura sighed again as she rubbed a palm over one of her cheeks, trying to decide just how she could approach this now. "All right, Naruto, let's talk about this anyway."

_She was not giving up! Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were way too important to her!_

"I don't care if you and our sensei are seeing each other, you idiot. Whatever you're doing together is your business." Though, Sakura's cheek was heating up under her palm as naughty thoughts seemed to want to insinuate themselves into her mind. "But you were so happy not so long ago…all of us could see it. Before Christmas, and just after New Year's…" Flapping a hand in front of her face, Sakura tried to cool herself off.

"We didn't know who you were going out with, and Kami knows that there was some serious guessing going on, but we were all so glad to see you like that. Naruto…" Sakura leaned over and touched her teammate's forearm, caressing it gently. "_**I**_ was so happy to see you like that."

Now everything seemed to have changed, and Naruto seemed to be regressing to the solitary wanderer that he'd been once before. "If Kakashi-sensei makes you that happy go for it! Go for him! Don't let whatever is it that happened to you two stop you from being with him if he puts that kind of smile on your face." Every word that Sakura said seemed to be lifting more and more of the gloom that hovered around Naruto, and his eyes were becoming a little brighter and his posture a little straighter, as he listened to her speech.

"Please? Don't let anything or anyone take away your happiness." She didn't know what she'd do now if anything ever happened to Lee, he was such a part of her own happiness.

Sliding from the bed, Sakura crawled over to sit beside the other teen, leaning her shoulders back against the wall like Naruto was doing. Settling beside him, she took one of his hands into her own and held it lightly. "Neither of us ever talk about this, you know, 'cause we both kind of understand that it's there, but...you're one of my best friends, and, you're the annoying, obnoxious little brother that I never had."

Naruto's heart clenched as Sakura talked, and he felt tears well into his eyes that he dashed away with his sleeve as he turned to look at her. "Sakura…" His voice was raspy as he clutched at her hand, full of all of the emotions that were threatening to overcome him. "Sakura, I…"

"I know, _baka_." She responded, her whole face softening as they exchanged glances. _"I know."_

…KNKNKN…

Naruto grumbled as he made his way towards the furthest training field to the east of the village, various words of complaint escaping him that got lost in the sounds of the thick trees and the animals, except for the loudly repeated name of his pink-haired teammate. He didn't know why Sakura had needed to meet up with him so far from Konoha, but here he was, tromping through woods almost as thick as the Forest of Death from his Chuunin Exam, and not enjoying it at all. In fact, he wouldn't even be here except he really felt like he owed her after all of the really nice things she'd said to him yesterday.

It was kinda weird to think that Sakura knew all about him and Kakashi but, at the same time, it was really great to have someone else to confide in, and someone that he didn't have to hide his relationship from. Since they'd talked, he'd been thinking more and more about seeing the silver-haired man, but finding his own courage had been a difficult thing, and when Sakura had sent him a message to come meet up with her out here, Naruto had kind of jumped at the opportunity to turn his mind towards something else. The annoyance of his arm still being in a cast, and the whole issue of Kakashi were turning him into a hermit.

It was taking way longer than usual for his arm to heal, and he'd been stuck in his apartment way more than he would have liked, but he'd been trying so hard to not run into Kakashi that he'd been acting like a whole different person. Naruto didn't like doing that—it wasn't in his nature to be sneaky—or to be shut up in four walls. "Damnit, Sakura…this better be good!" He was achy and fed up, and he hadn't been able to eat ramen with this stupid cast for _**six**_ damned days!

Emerging from the trees into the clearing Sakura had indicated on the map she'd sent him, Naruto looked around expectantly, blue eyes searching for the signal flag of his teammate's pink hair. But, there was no sight of her, and nothing even remotely resembling the red tunic dress Sakura usually wore, and he swore softly as he pulled the folded up map from his pocket and looked at it again. "Nope…this is the right place!' It wouldn't have been beyond him to get lost, not that he'd e_ver_ admit that to anyone else, but he'd actually followed the map properly this time, and was at the right clearing.

A noise had him leaping back awkwardly, his left hand reaching for a branch for stability as he landed wrong, his head snapping round in a double take at who else was emerging from the woods. "KAKASHI?!"

Stopping dead at the sight of his golden-haired love there before him, Kakashi could only stare in horrified delight at Naruto, and know that he'd been set up. Sakura had brought him an order from the Hokage to report here for a fitness test-something that, on its own was odd, for he'd been cleared by the hospital-and now he knew the reason why.

It appeared as though the women in his life were conspiring behind his back.

"Sakura?" He asked, one grey eye scanning over the beautiful face he'd thought of so often in the last six days.

The slight tightening of Naruto's full lips confirmed his suspicion, and he sighed as he ran a hand through his silver hair, sure that the teen wouldn't welcome his presence here. "I'll just go, then."

The confusion that Naruto had been feeling ever since his first sight of Kakashi faded away in that one moment, and he knew that he didn't want the man to leave...no matter what other emotions he was feeling, . "No!" He blurted, reaching out with his left hand to catch at a rolled-up sleeve. Immediately, his face reddened at the loudness of his own voice, and he dropped his eyes to his feet as he mumbled his apology for his rashness. "No…d-don't go. I…I'd really like to talk to you." Naruto hadn't been doing anything but thinking about Kakashi from sun up to sun down since they'd come back to the village. The silver-haired man had even figured prominently in his dreams—most times in a very embarrassing way-and now the last thing that he wanted was for Kakashi to walk away from him right now. He had a suspicion that he just might break down and cry.

"I…_we_, we need to talk." Biting at his bottom lip, his blue eyes still focused on his feet, Naruto accepted that there was a very good possibility that Kakashi would still just _leave_, 'cause it couldn't be coincidence that he hadn't seen him at all in days.

"Yes, we do." The soft tenor soothed him with those three words, and his gaze darted up then, catching that single grey eye looking at him with such worried tenderness that it nearly stole his breath away. Slowly, Naruto smiled, curling his fingers just a little tighter into the sleeve he was still holding as he began to move a little closer to Kakashi, emotions beginning to crowd into his chest. "I'm..."

"..._sorry."_ Kakashi murmured, his other hand coming up to cup a scarred cheek, his thumb rubbing affectionately over those distinctive marks. "I wanted to tell you so much and..."

"You couldn't." The younger man interrupted, his voice only a bit wobbly.

He could see the understanding in the depths of those blue, blue eyes and he knew a moment of relief so deep that his toes trembled in his sandals. "Naruto..." Kakashi whispered, pulling the unresisting teen closer to him to rest his forehead against that crown of golden hair. "You have no idea just how much I wanted to tell you."

"Baa-chan kinda said something about that." Naruto replied, letting his body sag in towards the other man's where he knew there would be arms to catch him. "She told me that you'd wanted to tell me for a long time, but you couldn't because of that law."

_That law! Stupid damned thing!_

Cool hands stroked warmly up over his back as Kakashi held him, the man's hands—ones that could kill with a single touch—ghosting over his back as if he were made of glass and would break in an instant. Naruto couldn't help but tremble in reaction to being back in those arms again, and he lifted his face up to look at his boyfriend, a bit embarrassed to feel his lower lip trembling, too.

"I...I forgave you already, Kakashi." Confessing that was the easy part. "A couple of days ago, I just knew that I couldn't be mad at you anymore. But, I...I had to have time to be able to, I don't know...kind of forget about it, y'know?" Blond brows were drawn down as Naruto frowned. He wanted to continue on with his thought, and make the older man really understand. "It wasn't just you, really. It was everyone else that knew and never told me."

_The Pervy Sage, Baa-chan, and the other important people in his life that had known and never said anything. Naruto had been trying to forgive all of them while he'd been hiding away this week, not just Kakashi. _It hadn't been until he'd talked to Sakura yesterday, and just now—until he'd seen Kakashi-that he'd realized that. The Jounin had been carrying all of the weight for that burden, even though it wasn't all of his fault.

"You were the only one that I could focus on. You were _there_ when the Kyuubi...when I found out. And, it was easier for me, I guess, to just think about you instead of all of the others." Wrapping his good arm around his boyfriend's waist, Naruto placed his cheek against the fabric of the Jounin vest and closed his eyes, glad to be finally breathing in that familiar scent of dogs and weapon oil once more, holding his injured arm carefully between them.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, Kakashi, I didn't want to, but..."

"You just didn't know what else to do, right?" The warm tenor poured into his ear as lips touched it, and a shiver of a good kind travelled all the way down Naruto's side. He didn't have a clue when the Jounin had removed his mask, and he didn't really care, because it felt so nice to have that mouth touching him again, that Naruto would have gladly ripped that offending thing off and thrown it into the river so that he could feel this way all the time. Leaning into that half-teasing kiss, he sighed as a tight knot that had seemed to have been in his chest loosened and disappeared, and there was no way that he wasn't going to turn his head so that their lips could properly meet.

With one hand curling into his boyfriend's vest, the teen pulled him just a bit closer, pressing up on his toes and opening his mouth so that a licking, questing tongue could dip into his depths. Naruto sighed out a whine of encouragement as his teeth were caressed and his tongue was drawn into a brief dance, not minding at all as a bit of saliva escaped him to slide over his cheek. _Kami, how he'd missed this! Dreamt of it, needed it!_

_Kakashi was the sexiest man, ever!_

...KNKNKN...

"KAMI!" Sakura squealed, clapping a hand over her mouth lest she be heard by very sensitive ears. "Look at them kissing, Lee!" She grabbed at her boyfriend's hand and tugged him forwards, nodding into the far distance where her sensei and her teammate were definitely exploring each other's tonsils. If she'd bothered to think about it, she'd have realized that she might see something like this if her plan turned out to be successful, but to actually witness it kind of made her feel..._weird. _"**CHA!** _I did it!"_ Pumping a fist in the air, she crowed out her success, turning to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

"But why, oh why did Kakashi-sensei have to be stand with his **back** to us!?" A long, withering sigh escaped her as she stared into the distance, hoping and praying that her two teammates might just, you know…turn around or something.

"That is really kind of disturbingly sexy. Really. The two of them..." Slithering back beneath the cover of the tree she and Lee were hiding in, Sakura turned and looked into those brown eyes, seeing an expression of faint panic there that did not match the one of dawning curiosity in her own green ones.

"Lee? What's wrong?"

The audible gulp that came after her question made her rose-hued brows shoot up to her hairline, and Sakura cupped a gentle palm around Lee's cheek, patting him gently. "Did it really bother you that much? Seeing two men together?"

"No!" The protest came quickly, and she watched as two hectic red spots appeared on her boyfriend's cheeks, warming her palm. "No. That's not it, Sakura-chan. It was just...it was just..." Lee wasn't often at a loss for words, but she could see him searching for just the right ones to use now. "I wasn't expecting it to be so...so full of _the tender blooming of love_."

Tears suddenly sparkled in those rich, dark eyes, and Sakura felt her heart quiver in response. There were many reasons why she'd fallen in love with this exuberant, enthusiastic young man, but the most important one of all was because of his big, warm, generous heart.

Wrapping her arms around Lee's muscular shoulders, she pressed herself closer, kissing him, and holding onto him as the worries about seeing her sensei's unmasked face and getting Kakashi and Naruto back together were forgotten completely. "You're so very special." Sakura whispered, nuzzling her nose against Lee's lovingly. "Your heart is bigger and more open than whole blue sky." A smile curved Lee's lips as he gazed at her, and Sakura could see the glitter of tears in his expressive brown eyes. "Just so you know…I know how lucky I am that you're mine."

A flutter of heat went through her as her boyfriend sat back against the trunk of the tree and pulled her into his lap, his hands resting warmly on her hips. "There is no one luckier than I am, Sakura-chan." Lee told her, leaning upwards to kiss her again. "My delicate flower, my lovely blossom…"

Breaking from their kiss, she felt the trickle of that dampness against her own cheek and Sakura smiled softly and wiped the tear from her boyfriend's face, her fingers lingering over unmarked skin. "My Lee." She murmured, kissing him again, fingers brushing through silky, dark hair. "My soft-hearted green tsunami."

…KNKNKN…

_Unbelievable!_ Somehow, after all of that work she'd gone to, Sakura had lost track of her teammates somewhere in the forest between the training field and Konoha. Distracted by her boyfriend, she'd really only taken the time to indulge in a _few_ kisses before she'd realized that they were gone...really, only a few. Or, you know, a dozen or more. By the time she'd emerged from the pleasurable haze they'd made together, Kakashi and Naruto had been nowhere to be seen.

Now she'd waved good-bye to Lee as he'd gone off to meet up with his teammates for a training session while she went in search of her own, leaving her alone with her frustration at her own naivete. _Damnit! How could she be expected to revel in her successes if she couldn't see the two of them?!_ It just burned her up that they'd gotten away from her so easily!

Up ahead, Sakura spotted Sai and she hailed him, waving her hand to keep him where he was until she could catch up to him. "Sai! Hey! You haven't seen Naruto or Kakashi-sensei anywhere have you?"

Dark eyes regarded her curiously as the teen's lips lifted in a quirk that she knew he must have seen someone else use to convey a non-verbal question, the use of the copied gesture a clear sign of the teen's efforts to keep growing emotionally. And, while Sakura appreciated Sai's attempts to be more demonstrative, she wasn't in the mood to try and figure out just what book he'd been reading lately, or who he'd been observing, that had led him to make such an effort. "I swear that I've been _**everywhere**_ and I can't find them. The Hokages' heads, the Memorial Stone...both of their apartments... Please tell me that you've seen them!"

"Of course, Sakura-chan." The teen responded, his effort at a polite smile not half-bad. "I passed them about half-an-hour ago, heading down the main street. They appeared to be in deep conversation."

_Down the main street._ It was as if the proverbial light bulb went on when Sakura figured out where the boys would be, and without another word to Sai, she took off running down the street, her sandals tapping against the cobblestones as her speed increased. The ghosting sensation of being followed let her know that her other teammate was on her heels even without Sakura even having to look around, and she knew that pure curiosity had motivated Sai to chase after her to see just what had moved her to track down their sensei and Naruto.

The moment the salty scent of cooking ramen teased at her nose Sakura began to slow, and her inky-haired comrade came to walk alongside of her as they closed the few hundred feet remaining until they were in front of the curtained opening of a certain someone's favourite restaurant. There was no mistaking the bottom halves of the two men that she'd been looking for, and a quiet _**'cha!'**_ escaped her as she sidled silently forward, one hard glare at Sai warning him to just...not...speak.

Peering around the edge of one of the hangings, carefully peeking behind her sensei's back, Sakura knew that, realistically, there was no chance that the Jounin didn't know that she was there, for this was Kakashi, and he was amazing, but... She really needed to risk doing this just to see what was happening between two men that she cared for, because she desperately wanted to be sure that they were going to be happy.

That they were _both_ going to be happy.

What she saw when she peeked made her heart beat like a fluttery trapped bird, and she was about to squeak her delight when the ink-stained hand of her teammate clapped over her mouth to keep her quiet. Normally, she'd have punched Sai all the way to the Hokage Tower for daring to do that to her, but this time...this time she just had to sigh dreamily in relief. _How cute was __**that**__?!_

Naruto couldn't use his right hand because of the immense cast on it, so eating his most favourite food in the world had been made next to impossible for him since he was terrible at keeping chopsticks in his left hand. But that hindrance had certainly been overcome, for their sensei was _squeee_ feeding Naruto, giving him noodles and meat from the bowl bit by bit, attentively waiting until the teen had chewed and swallowed before offering him some more. It was just so cute that she had to hug herself to keep from squealing out loud the way that she had internally, and Sakura was more than happy when Sai grabbed her and pulled her away from her post, for she knew that she wasn't going to be able to hold it all in for much longer.

"Kami, Sai! Did you see them?! Weren't they _sooo_ cute?! I mean, sensei was feeding Naruto, did you see?" She was practically jumping up and down in her glee, just this far from spinning in delighted circles as she hadn't done since she was a little girl. All the while, the bemused dark eyes of her teammate were upon her, and Sakura could see that Sai really hadn't gotten the subtext of it all.

"It seemed fairly obvious that Kakashi-senpai had merely taken pity on Naruto because of his injury and was only lending him a hand, Sakura." Sai said, confirming her guess that he was clueless. "Or was there something that I was missing?"

"Oh, Sai..." Patting him on the chest reassuringly, Sakura turned him around and sent him off and away from Kakashi and Naruto just to be on the safe side. The teen still had trouble controlling that filter-less brain-to-tongue thingy he did, and she didn't want him making any inappropriate comments after she left. This whole relationship between her other two teammates was something too precious to leave unguarded, and so she made sure Sai was well on his way, the confusion still obvious on his normally passive face, before she even thought of leaving.

As it was, the temptation to peek just one more time was gnawing at the edges of her conscience, and Sakura really had to wrestle with herself to not indulge in just one more look at how endearing it was to see her sensei being so gentle with Naruto. Such cuteness made her curl up her fists and shiver again, but she gathered up her morals and fled, before she could change her mind.

"Aa-aaa..." Kakashi sighed, holding out the next helping of noodles for his boyfriend to take. "No need to ask if Sakura knows then, _hmm_?" He'd been quite aware of Sai and Sakura at his back, and had quickly figured out just what it was the young woman wanted from him and his disabled companion. His words made blue eyes brighten, and then stare past him, golden brows climbing skyward as the younger man searched for the other teen, only coming back to his face when Naruto realized that Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

"Sakura was here?" Naruto croaked. A slight flush climbing over that golden skin was all the confirmation of his suspicions that the Jounin needed, and, as he fed the ramen to Naruto, he listened most specifically to the patter of Sakura's sandals moving away from them. Listening closely because he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be peering over his shoulder again.

"And Sai." He murmured, holding out some hard-boiled egg for the teen to take, watching avidly as a pink tongue darted out to guide it in. "But they've gone."

"Oh, _huh_...Sakura kinda...kinda..."

"Not to worry, Naru. There's a few more people that know about us, too. Kakashi said softly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth beneath his mask. He shrugged. "We seemed to have passed inspection."

Naruto seemed to be at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a really endearing gasping fish, before he let out an embarrassed giggle. "Yeah, well, I was really worried about what Sakura-chan would think and...she was okay with it. It was kinda good, actually."

Kakashi nodded his acceptance, his grey eye softening as he considered that his pink-haired former student _was_ handling the whole situation with surprisingly sympathetic maturity. It eased something inside of him to know that Sakura _approved._

_Not that he__** needed **__her approval. Not..._err..._really. It was just that she meant so much to Naruto. That they all meant so much to Naruto. _Kakashi had a second's flash of all of the people that were important to the blond peering over his shoulder right at that moment. Ranks of them, going all the way back to the ghosts of his own sensei and the fierce redhead that he'd loved, each and every one of them judging his actions and his words, and he had to make a concerted effort to remind himself that it was just he and Naruto here. Just Kakashi and Naruto, and that the vivid, effervescent blond had fallen in love with him for who he was. _Naruto wasn't expecting him to become someone else, just as he loved the blond for exactly who he was as well. _That thought helped him to vanquish the heaviness of perceived obligations and remember that this was love...just love, only the quaver in his hand as he reached to give Naruto some of the last noodles in the bowl gave away his momentary anxieties.

_Alone once more. _Kakashi sighed in his mind. Or, alone as one could be in a ramen stand, with the owner and his daughter looking at the two of them with silly grins on their faces. Really. It was like they'd never seen someone feeding Naruto before, what with how goofy they were being. Ayame had those annoying stars in her eyes every time she glanced over at them, and she'd served up Naruto's third bowl of donkatsu with extra meat with the weirdest of giggles.

"Maa," Kakashi sighed. "Are we really that cute?"

"Huh? What d'y say?" Naruto was swallowing the mouthful that he'd just been given, those blue eyes fixed longingly on the chopsticks in his hand as he awaited the next. The Jounin was absolutely riveted in his own turn by the look in those eyes. By the wanting, desiring gaze that was fixed on his hand instead of his face, and though that expression was only for food, and not for him, Kakashi well remembered that same look on that beautiful face when Naruto **had **been looking at him.

It made things tighten in his lower belly, and the usually generous allowances of his Shinobi trousers a little less roomy.

_What man wouldn't react?_ Kakashi groaned to himself, watching with fascination as those plump, rosy and glistening lips opened again to take the next helping of noodles, a pink tongue curling about them from behind. Only with Naruto could the simple action of eating become sexy enough to arouse him in the middle of the village. "Naruto..." He sighed, putting down the now empty bowl and bringing those cerulean eyes back to his face again. "We should really take this someplace else."

The confusion on the teen's face was rather adorable, Kakashi noted, and he took the time allowed him by that befuddlement to dab at a drip of liquid on his boyfriend's chin. That brought a girly sigh from one of their onlookers, and it was that sigh moved him into getting out his money to pay for both of their meals. "C'mon, Naruto. We're going."

"Huh? But Kakashi, I wanted more..." Naruto's voice trailed off as that single grey eye fixed him with a determined, focused, _hungry_ look that melted things inside of him and made his breath catch in his throat. Apparently the older man had ideas, _interesting ideas,_ and after the hot kisses in the woods and the warmth of his favourite ramen in his stomach, he found that he was in the mood for some of those ideas, too. "Ohhhkaaay..."

"Hey, old man! We're going now! Thanks for all of the food!" And Naruto was down off of his stool and halfway down the street, waiting impatiently for Kakashi to catch up to him before the Jounin had even put his change away.

"Naruto." He heard his boyfriend hail, but he could barely wait for him, for all sorts of things were going all trembly inside of him. "Naruto, for Kami's sake."

A strong hand caught him at the elbow and a second later the twisting of a Shunshin stole them both away, going from the sunlit street to the shaded calm of the Jounin's front step with the blink of an eye. "Oh." Naruto breathed, distracted again, breaking from his boyfriend's grip to go to the plant potted on the landing just beside him. "You kept it, 'Kashi. You actually kept it."

"Of course I did, Naru." Kakashi said, coming to stand with him, bending as Naruto did to examine the bright green leafiness of the rose. "It got a little beaten up while we were training, but a friend was watering it for me, so you can see that it's coming back."

The teen could see that, and he could also see just how bad the little flower bush had gotten during their time away. All of the leaves were new and tender ones, and the just-ready-to-burst buds were smaller than they should be, but it was alive, and it was thriving; the plant coming back to life, and just about to bloom, and that was all that mattered. A long, strong arm curled around his waist and Naruto was tugged against Kakashi's side, and he turned a bit in that one-armed embrace and dared to kiss the older man right there on the step, right through his mask, his heart pattering in a light and ticklish way at how happy he was about everything right in this very moment.

"It looks good, Kakashi." He whispered, walking hip-to-hip with the man as he backed towards his door, unlocked it and then sinuously waltzed them both through it. "You look good, and I'm so, so happy to be here. I'm just..._happy,_ I can't say it in any other way."

Pushed against the wall as the door was slammed shut behind him, Naruto became intimately aware of just how much he'd missed the other man as he was almost smothered, the Jounin crowding in on him, Kakashi's breath brushing over his face. Gazing up, entranced, he watched as gloved fingers pulled down the dark blue mask to expose that handsome face and the soft smile on lips he'd been dreaming about kissing all along, just as that grey eye narrowed on him with a look of want and need that verged on the desperate.

Heat crept through Naruto's limbs, and he actually felt his knees quiver as the intensity of that look grew, and the smile his love was giving him became almost..._wild_ in nature, bringing an answering throb to his heart that made him gasp just as Kakashi swooped in to kiss him again.

On and on that kiss went, as if his boyfriend wasn't ever going to stop. One turning into two, and then more and more as strong hands spanned his waist and grasped his back, molding their bodies closer together. Naruto gasped and tried to breathe when he could, but the length and breadth and depth of those kisses had his head whirling and he had to curl urgent fingers into Kakashi's vest to keep from sinking right down to the floor.

"_I missed you so much." _Hot, damp lips murmured against his own, his love breathing those words right into his open, gasping mouth. Naruto felt as if he could taste them, as if he could roll them over his tongue and know the sweet and sour, bitter essence of them. Kakashi kissed the corner of his lips, nipped lightly at his bottom lip and then tipped his head back just enough for Naruto gaze up at him once more, his blue eyes wide with emotions roused him in by all of the tender things the older man was sharing with him.

He'd never really considered just how much pain Kakashi might have suffered while they'd been apart. He'd never thought of this man in any terms other than being strong and resilient and persevering in the face of **anything.** But the way that he was being held, and the taste of those kisses nearly broke Naruto's heart, and he could only do one thing to keep the tears from welling in his eyes once more.

Throwing his arms around Kakashi's neck, almost clubbing him with his cast, he hugged him tightly, grateful to feel powerful arms close around him, hands stroking over the muscles of his back. "I'm sorry!" Naruto cried out, feeling the tip of a cool nose press against the hard-beating pulse in his neck. "I'm sorry...I..."

"No." Kakashi murmured, breaking into that apology that he didn't need to have. "No, don't say that, Naru. Please..."

Somehow Kakashi moved them away from that wall, holding tight to the precious teen in his arms as they both danced their way to the couch that he'd never been able to put away. "Come here, Naru. Come on." He said, his voice a reverent hush. "Don't apologize to me. You've done nothing to say sorry for."

They fell on that couch, the golden-haired teen tucked under him as Kakashi held him close, their bodies falling together naturally as they kissed once more. One of Naruto's legs draped over the back of his own, bringing their groins more sensually together, coaxing moans from the both of them. "You're here..." Sliding his lips over the column of his love's neck and down, Kakashi nibbled at a collarbone, one hand finding the curve of a taut, curvaceous bottom cheek to squeeze. "I'm here... And that's all that matters."

And it did seem to be enough after that.

Enough that they were together, and that their relationship was _good _again. Kisses and touches were all that either of them seemed to need now that their separation was over. Twilight came and darkness afterwards, and they roused themselves enough to eat and talk, and touch—always touching. Hitai-ate were set aside, and sandals finally dropped at the door, and they eventually relocated to Kakashi's small bed.

There was no thought of doing anything more than sleeping in either of their minds. Naruto was exhausted, and so was he, for neither of them had slept well while they'd been apart. When they laid down together it was only to tuck into the curve of each other's bodies and go to sleep, the blankets pulled tightly around them. Quickly, so quickly and easily, their breathing fell into a matching rhythm and their hearts slowed to beating to a common pulse.

…KNKNKN…

In the silvered moonlight that came in through the unshaded windows, Kakashi lay curled around Naruto's fully recumbent form, his arms curled possessively around that fine, compact body, keeping him close. Towards the darkest part of the night, just before the lightening greys of dawn, a single eye opened to peer at his bedmate, the heartfelt hope that he wasn't dreaming rousing the Jounin from a restfully deep sleep. Only the sight of that face—the golden crescents of thick lashes, and the moon-faded golden skin-soothed his worry away. And, with a soft chuckle at his own stupidity, Kakashi settled himself back into his bed again and let his fears fall away, a gentle kiss to a sleep-flushed cheek and all was right with his world and, back to sleep he went.

**Thanks so much for your patience in waiting for this chapter. It was surprisingly hard to write these two coming back together, just the last few paragraphs gave me more trouble than I anticipated it would. **

**There's just one more chapter in this story, one which we hope will reward you for the long journey that you've taken with Deathwish and I. We've really enjoyed this collaboration. Working together has been fun and frustrating…(poor Deathwish, you can't blame him for how slow the writing was, poor guy)! **

**Thanks to all of our regular reviewers, and to those of you that have just discovered this story. We appreciate all of your feedback, and your love, and encourage you for the second-last time to review for us again. We love to hear what you've got to say! –K.E.K**

**Hello Everyone, I have some important! First off, there is only one more chapter left! We have come very far of this trip that you have taken with us but I am also glad to say, that this trip isn't over yet. The White Rose is going to have a sequel, there is still so much we want to tell and we hope you will stick around. More news on the sequel will come later!**

**Next, I have been holding out on Kakashi and Naruto having sex. My reasons for this are because I want it to be something that comes out perfect and seems very special, but I want to know what you guys want. Should we hold out until the next story or in this next chapter do you guys want them to get it on? Please tell us in the review or a pm. Thank you for everything guys - Deathwish**


	20. Chapter 20

**The White Rose**

Chapter 20

"Crystal Blue Persuasion"

"Better get ready,  
>Gonna see the light.<br>Love, love is the answer  
>Whoo-hoo<br>And that's all right.  
>So don't you give up now,<br>Whoo-hoo  
>It's so easy to find.<br>Just look to your soul,  
>(Look to your soul)<br>And open your mind.

Tommy James and the Shondells

"Hey, Sakura...you sleepin' yet?" Naruto flopped over on his back to stare up at the stars through the covering canopy of leaves far above. He had a bit of a frown on his face as he thought back to the Jinchuuriki they had just left, and the sad tale he'd told him of his life.

"Not yet, Naruto." His teammate answered him, a sigh accompanying her words as she rolled over to look at him. "I've been thinking about Utakata, and how he ran away because of how he was treated."

"Yeah..." Nodding, even though he knew that Sakura couldn't see it, Naruto brought up a hand to scratch at his itchy nose, turning over to look at the girl and give her his full attention. "I was just thinkin' about that, too."

Sakura had no doubt that's where Naruto's head had been. For all that she remembered of her teammate's childhood, his hadn't been too happy either. She had all kinds of regrets for what an air-headed, dismissive twerp she'd been to him then-that young and Uchiha-occupied Sakura having no idea whatsoever just how important that lonely little blond kid was going to become to her. Throwing an arm across her eyes, she remembered just how Utakata had looked when they'd left, as if Naruto had put something worthwhile back into his life again, and she smiled to herself as she reflected that her teammate always seemed to have that effect on people.

_Hardly anyone can resist that unstoppable charm of his. He just wears them down with his relentless optimism._

Lee was effusive in his admiration of her teammate; the kid that had once talked only of defeating Sasuke transferring all of his focus to Naruto now that he'd gotten to know him. Sakura had regaled her boyfriend with more than one tale of the missions they'd been on as Team Seven, enjoying how Lee's big brown eyes grew even larger as he listened.

She had to admit that they were pretty far out stories. Sakura might not have believed them herself except that she'd actually been there and seen it all, and reliving them made it easier and easier for her to understand the teen that had once annoyed her so much. Seeing Naruto from her boyfriend's perspective had opened her mind and heart much more quickly to just how much he really meant to her

Lee was a sweetheart, and she'd fallen more in love with him than she'd ever thought she might. Kind, generous...and sexy. _Kami, he was so unexpectedly sexy!_

Sakura had been patiently weaning him away from some of the habits he'd copied so slavishly from his sensei. Gai-sensei was an enthusiastic force-of-nature and an admirable Jounin, but some of his fashion choices...? _Ugh._ Putting a little part in Lee's hair had shown off those gorgeous dark eyes of his even better, and getting him to understand that he didn't have to wear the green leotard all of the time had made her appreciate his toned and muscular body all the more.

A hot, appreciative shiver went through her now at the thought of it, and a warm hum in remembrance of the last time she'd seen him vibrated low in her throat. When they'd first met at the Chunin Exams she would have never thought that in a few years she'd really be in love with him, actually be _sleeping_ with him, all stripped naked and sweaty in the best kind of way. Heat bloomed low in her belly when she thought of Lee and how his hands caressed her, and Sakura giggled in embarrassment because this really wasn't the time or the place.

Naruto raised himself up on an elbow and gazed over at his pink-haired teammate, trying to make out her features in the low, golden light of the banked fire. He'd heard something in that giggle that made his own cheeks heat a little, and he wondered, just wondered if Sakura and Lee were...

"Hey, Sakura?" The impulses that he sometimes didn't have much control over had his mouth moving and the words spilling from him before he could even attempt to filter them through any kind of propriety. "You and Lee...are you doing...y'know..._it?_"

For a moment the pink-haired young woman was frozen at the sheer impudence of that question, even coming as it was from a guy known for his impulse control problems. Her fists clenched at her sides, and she was about to roll up to her knees and pummel him when the low, grunting snore of their captain broke through her haze of anger. So, she snorted instead, not willing to wake Yamato up and involve him in this embarrassing conversation, and came up on her elbow like Naruto had done, her green eyes fixing him with a very discerning, almost _wicked _stare. _Tit for tat. _

"I dunno, Naruto." Sakura smirked, deliberately not answering the question. "Have you and Kakashi-sensei?"

As she had anticipated, Naruto froze at the query, his blue eyes going very wide as that tanned skin of his flushed with a rush of blood that started right where his black collar circled his throat and went all the way up to the spikes of his sunshine hair. Sakura felt a bit of malicious glee to see his embarrassment, and she could just imagine steam might come from his ears as she prepared her next volley. "Sensei must be pretty sexy with his clothes off...you should tell me all about it. I mean...he's pretty sexy with them on, so..."

"_**Hey!**_" Naruto's not-quite shout didn't even rattle the rhythm of their captain's snores, and Sakura spared a moment to wonder whether he'd gotten onto Kakashi-sensei's habit of wearing earplugs in order to get some rest while sleeping near Naruto. That thought led to others featuring her teammates in bed and soon enough she was fighting to keep her own blush from burning up her face. Why it was she found those thoughts so alluring, she didn't know, but Sakura was fairly sure she was becoming a pervert by association, and that her sensei and his books were completely to blame. "Don't...! Don't you be...!"

His voice squeaked off-key and then cracked rather embarrassingly, and in that moment Sakura saw something else in Naruto's now rapidly paling face that said to her that, incredibly, the _opposite_ just might be true!

"You...you _**haven't**_, have you?!" She gasped, and the body language of her teammate gave away the veracity of her guess, for Naruto was drawing in on himself just the way that he always did when he believed that he'd failed at something. Emotions swamped her - so many of them that she didn't know which one to respond to first – though the answering embarrassment seemed to be the one winning the war within. Sakura felt ashamed now that she'd even asked the question, because all of a sudden she understood just why her teammate had felt the need to ask her such a personal thing.

"Oh, _Kami_, Naruto! You can't judge my relationship with Lee with yours! You and sensei...you're completely different from us. You..."

The thought struck her in mid-sentence like a lightning jutsu from her sensei himself, drawing Sakura's whole body up into a tight line as her green eyes went very, very wide in amazement. _How had she missed this?! How had she missed the fact that...?_

"He's not really a pervert after all! Is he?!"

Breathing out the question, she felt her face go cool and knew that she'd paled as one of her main assumptions about the man that had taught them and teamed with them for so long had just been completely wiped away. "Kami...!" Verdant eyes gone the dark colour of spruce needles fixed upon her teammate, and she could see the emotional battle Naruto was going through plain on the unnatural white of his troubled face, and once more Sakura understood just what the other teen was thinking. "There's nothing wrong with that!" She hissed, waving her hands desperately in front of him to gain the attention of those glazed blue eyes. "Nothing, no...nothing at all!"

_Yamato really must be wearing earplugs! _Risking a glance at their captain, she could see that he was still firmly asleep, a quick scan of his chakra confirming that, and then she turned all of her attention back to the very abashed Naruto. Sakura scooted from her bedroll to sit in front of her friend, taking one of those calloused hands into her own. "We're not kids anymore, Naruto. And...we don't have to be in a hurry to keep up with each other anymore. This **isn't** a contest." Softening her voice, she leaned in and rested her forehead tenderly against his. "You don't have to feel..._less_ than me because you haven't..._you know_." Her mind reeled again at the thought that Kakashi...their Kakashi...

_Their pervy, impossible, porn-book-toting sensei hadn't...wouldn't..._

_Gah!_ Trust Naruto to try and make a contest out of **this** of all things!

Squeezing that battle-toughened hand between her own, Sakura tried to will her own belief in what she was saying into her teammate's stubborn brain, for she knew the depths of what Naruto could get up to if he believed that he was being left behind by anyone. That might all be well and good in training, but that definitely did not apply when it came to relationships. "Listen to me, _baka_." Releasing that calloused hand, she drew her teammate into a hug, remembering a time when it was her that this blond obsessed over and not some silver-haired older man and she smiled to herself.

"You've got to stop thinking about this. You and sensei...you're just taking this at your own speed. That's all you need to do. It's not about Lee and I and what we're doing. It's about you and your love taking its own sweet time."

She peered into those cloudy blue eyes, hoping to see them clear so that she knew Naruto understood what she was saying, but doubt remained there, and Sakura _tch'_d her impatience with her teammate. "Honestly, you are an idiot, but I love you, and I know that you'll end up doing the right thing."

There was nothing more that she could say, but trust the blond to work through this and come out with the right answer in the end. Experience had shown her that Naruto usually finished up doing the right thing eventually, even if he had to flail around a lot before he got there. And sensei? Smiling, she plopped herself down on her bedroll and made herself comfortable, grinning as she thought about the silver-haired Jounin's reaction to what their teammate was about to do.

Sakura would give anything to be there when that happened. _Cha!_

_Ooo...er..._A flush started in her cheeks and set her whole face ablaze as her thoughts wandered too far into the pervy once more. _Kami! Kakashi-sensei's got nothing on me!_

Curling onto his side, Naruto closed his eyes and ignored the strange sounds that Sakura was making, his thoughts entirely taken up with making a plan for what he was going to do the moment he got back to the village. He understood what his teammate had been trying to tell him, but he was still determined to have what he wanted...to have Kakashi in all of the ways that he could...the need inside of him to do that like the hunger he always used to feel as a kid, when none of the other kids would play with him.

That loneliness...back then it had been so bad, he shuddered to remember it. But, compared to the time he and Kakashi had spent apart, it had been almost easy, and maybe, just maybe, he'd never have to worry about that kind of loneliness ever again if they did _**that**_.

So, y'see, Sakura was wrong about something. It wasn't a contest, or he didn't feel like he was falling behind he...he just wanted to be _sure._

...KNKNKN...

There was no hesitation in Naruto's steps as he made his way back to his apartment. He was on a mission! He had a goal and a purpose, and one idea that kept forcing all of his blood to travel southwards in a most embarrassing way. Even as he was dealing with that throbbing mess in his pants, he was wriggling with nerves as he made himself think about what he was going to do when he saw Kakashi next.

This was something he absolutely had to do.

He had to seduce Kakashi. He'd definitely decided that.

Despite Sakura's kind attempts to tell him that it was all right for them to wait, Naruto was sure that he was falling behind his friends. Lee and her had already done it, and he was sure Shikamaru and Temari were, y'know, getting together on a regular basis. He'd seen the way they looked at each other, after all, and the Suna Kunoichi was older and, _yeah_, didn't look like she waited for anything.

Naruto knew that others of the rookies had boyfriends and girlfriends already—even bug boy and...and he had _**bugs**_. So why hadn't he and Kakashi?

Because his Jounin was so much older and—

he knew so much more and—

Crashing to a halt on the roof of a building no more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from his own apartment, Naruto crouched in a paralysed, panting heap, shards of anxiety stabbing at his gut. _What if he wasn't good enough?! What if the real reason was Kakashi thought that he would be..._

_**Bad?!**_

"I don't know anything." He whispered to himself, shoving both hands into the thicket of his dirty, sweaty hair and tugging on it harshly in his distress. The bright, sharp spray of pain from his scalp helped him to shove some of his worry away, for above all else it allowed him to remember that he didn't doubt Kakashi's love for him. But, "...I really don't know anything."

His boyfriend knew that he learned best by doing. By doing it over and over and..._gah_!

Flushing so deeply that he felt light-headed, Naruto untangled his fingers from his hair and shook away a multitude of golden strands so that he could drop his face into his filthy palms, seeking a hiding place there as his heart galloped in reaction to the images crowding his brain. "Aaa..." he croaked, sighing all the air out of his lungs so that he could draw in a deep and cleansing breath. "Too many 'overs'!"

_That was the point, though, wasn't it? That he could learn if he was taught, and Kakashi could teach._

Kami! Could that man teach!

Kissing...

Touching...

_Frotting..._

A drop of drool at the corner of his lips drew Naruto away from memories of the very moment he'd learned the definition of **that** word, and he sucked it back into his mouth with an audible slurp that just. Sounded. So. Dirty. he had to giggle over it. His blood remembered then, in concert with his giggling, just where it had been headed before, and he began to swell until he was aching inside his pants and for a moment Naruto lost himself in contemplation of other things that made slurping noises. Things he hadn't even explored yet.

"See!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, shooting to his feet. He leapt the small distance to his apartment, determination to succeed on his mission filling him once more. "This is why we have to! I'm gonna go crazy thinkin' 'bout things like this, and my brain is gonna melt if we don't! _Dattebayo!_"

Opening his door, he slammed inside, a list of things he needed to do to get ready beginning to unscroll in his head. _First was a shower and..._ No. First should be finding that book Iruka-sensei gave him for Christmas, because Naruto was pretty sure it had instructions and... It had pictures.

He cursed his over-active spit glands and wiped more drool away as he tried to remember where he'd last seen it.

...KNKNKN...

Showered, relaxed, and full with a light lunch pleasantly paid for by Gai at their favourite sushi place, Kakashi strolled down the main street of the village, slowly making his way towards one much-anticipated destination.

_Naruto was home._

He'd overheard the clerk from the Missions Desk—who'd just also happened to be dining at the sushi bar—tell his lunch companion that the Uzumaki kid had returned from another successful mission and had already turned in his report. And, while Kakashi hadn't deliberately chosen the restaurant on the off chance the clerk _might_ be there, the news was so wonderful that even Gai had seen the huge smile that had broken over his face under his mask, and had smiled that blinding, sparkly grin of his in return.

His longtime friend had been intending on teasing him, the Jounin could tell, when the clerk had launched into a long list of complaints about Kakashi's beautiful blond that had included everything Naruto had ever done all the way back to being born. On and on he'd went in a vitriolic whisper that had been only too audible to two Shinobi with finely tuned hearing and the ability to read lips. Kakashi's ire had built in his blood, but he hadn't moved, the only sign of his rising fury the almost imperceptible tightening of his lips under his mask. He'd always hated the people who'd said bad things about the teenager, especially after he'd become his student. Now though, this inane clerk was attacking someone that he loved, and he could either sit there and take it or...

Gai was the one that'd showed his true mettle then, the colour blooming over his cheeks as he made to push back his chair and go to Naruto's defense. "Yosh!" He'd declared, his long, calloused fingers closing over the plate before him, effortlessly breaking it in half in a fit of anger. "No one should talk about our friend in such a manner! Naruto-kun is just opening up to the full thrust of his potential!"

Choking on his sip of tea, Kakashi managed to hold his friend down before he drew any more attention to himself than he usually did, waving him back into his seat as he gave him a bemused eye smile. "Let's just have something else to eat, shall we?" And ordered.

His friend sputtered at him, those dark eyes going round as the disbelief that the cool Shinobi known as Kakashi wasn't going to do something about all of that...all of that...

The waitress had dropped the order on their table, and Gai had watched with an open mouth as Kakashi had calmly picked through the white, slimy mass on the plate, long, slim fingers plucking forth one of the spines that must not be eaten. "Do you know what is interesting about this species of jellyfish, Gai?" He'd asked casually, twirling the slender spine around in his fingers like a senbon needle. "The effects of its venom."

_And if that venomous spine had happened to find its way into the vulnerable, exposed skin at the side of that clerk's neck, that could certainly be an accident._

Gai and he were out of there by the time the projectile puking started, anyways.

Now he was footloose and free, and on his way to see his bouncing ball of golden energy, his heart a wonderfully excited drum in his chest. They'd been kept apart for so long, busy with missions, separated by chance and by carefully thought out orders. Tsunade was doing it on purpose, Kakashi was sure of that. Testing their characters, and their commitment to each other. He understood her reluctance to just sit back, considering her affection for Naruto, and understood that she was giving the both of them the time to be sure that they both wanted this. Which the jounin both appreciated and detested—but mostly detested.

He really hated it when other people interfered in his personal life. _Not that he'd ever had much of one. _Kakashi reflected, rubbing one hand back through his silver hair. At least not before Naruto had fallen into his lap in a very new and different way.

"_Mah..."_ Exhaling a sigh, Kakashi muttered aloud as he allowed his thoughts free rein, letting his body automatically take him where he needed to go as he considered his blond boyfriend. "He fell in a very astonishing way, really." And he still had a hard time believing that the remarkable blond loved him. _**HIM!**_

Under no kind of self-delusion, Kakashi knew just who he was. The very definition of 'laconic'. And 'reticent' would have his picture beside it in any dictionary in the Five Elemental Countries. But, somehow he had made an effervescent, passionate and generous young man fall in love with his - a young man that was worthy of anyone's love, least of all his. _The last obstinate bachelor in Konoha...that was Kakashi Hatake._

And yet it wasn't anymore.

Coming to an abrupt halt as he turned the corner onto Naruto's street, Kakashi stood still and let the tide of village life flow around him. He looked up at the sky that reminded him of the blue of Naruto's eyes, and the sun that reminded him of the golden silk of his hair and let out a very happy sigh. "Yep, maudlin." That was him now, and he was ever so grateful to the Kami, or to destiny, or karma or whomever _or whatever _it was that had shoved love in his face and made him take it.

Naruto.

Kakashi chuckled to himself as he squared his shoulders and continued on his way, his feet finding their own way down the street as his thoughts continued their flights of fancy. There was far more excitement in his blood to see his blond than he expected there would be, and a real frisson of sexual want that centred on the idea of what they might get up to tonight after their date. That spike of sensual energy made for an easy leap from ground level to Naruto's apartment on the top floor, and a smile appeared under his mask as he made for that battered door.

Standing there for just a moment, Kakashi collected himself, and shoved his hair back just so, before lifting a hand to knock, staring at the weather-beaten paint as he waited for it to swing open in a burst of immediate enthusiasm. He was expecting his arms to be instantly full of his bouncing, exuberant blond, and so he braced himself and waited.

And waited...

_And..._

"Naruto?" Knocking one more time, Kakashi braced himself again, and again was disappointed. _Sleeping? _He wondered. _Not at home? _A weird, unsettled feeling began to roll around in Kakashi's gut. What if he'd been injured? But no...that clerk he'd punished would have certainly said something about that. So...?

Curling his fingers into his askew silver hair, he clenched the strands tightly, almost ready to curse aloud. He wondered over what could have happened to the teen. Naruto knew that they were going to meet up and go out, that this was their date night. A celebration of them both finally being off at the same time, and his blond was never late like he usually was.

"Fuck." The unaccustomed profanity was worthy of Kakashi's monumental stupidity, and he breathed it out as he released his hair at the same time as he sent out a low pulse of chakra to find out for sure if Naruto was at home. And he was. In his bedroom. Probably sleeping...which was why he hadn't answered his door.

Locks were no hardship to a Shinobi of any calibre, and as his boyfriend's locks were cruddy, and Kakashi was who he was, it was just like walking through an open door to get in. There were no jutsus set up to protect the apartment though. No warning system, no perimeter alarm, and he made mental note to admonish his blond about that as he kicked off his sandals in the small vestibule. "Naruto?" He asked softly, not wanting to wake him if he were truly asleep. "It's me."

_And no one else but me. _A small smile curved his lips under his mask as he sidestepped into the quiet, shadowy kitchen, his hands forming protection jutsus and warning and privacy barriers as fast as his long, agile fingers could form the seals. Only when he was sure they were as safe as he could make them, did he begin the process of becoming the man that was dating Naruto; removing his hitai-ate and vest, along with his mask and gloves. Here in this place, he became just 'boyfriend' and 'lover' and could leave the _Sharingan no Kakashi_ identity off for a while. "Naruto?"

The narrow wall that separated kitchen from living and sleeping area in the blond's apartment was but a lean away from Kakashi seeing just where the other man was, and so he stepped around it, his curious grey eye leading the way as he looked expectantly towards the bed. Immediately his brain and all of the rest of him froze as he finally took a look at the almost still figure on the bed. Both of his eyes popped open, the left one going wide on its own accord as his Sharingan began to spin. It was..._Err, umm..._

"_n-Naruto?" _He squeaked, and one pale hand shot out to seek support on a nearby wall. "N-Narut...to? Wh-what...?!"

Sweat poured over the small of Kakashi's back as he stared, his mouth agape. His love was naked. Like, as in, _really_ naked. All of that tanned, perfect, unmarked skin laid out over the single bed in what Kakashi's brain could only think of as a golden temptation. He was..._beautiful. _A word he had often thought of in conjunction with Naruto, but he had never truly appreciated the breadth and scope of until this very minute.

"Beautiful." Kakashi's voice was a dry, hoarse rasp as he staggered forwards two steps and then halted again, a profound sweat breaking out between his shoulder blades and behind his suddenly trembling knees. Caught absolutely flat-footed by what was before him, he couldn't do anything but stare, his detail-oriented mind taking in every shadow and plane, and every curve of that gorgeous body on display for him.

Warm afternoon sunlight spilled down over Naruto's body, the soft, mellow light almost caressing that perfectly masculine form. A single ray hit upon the tip of his boyfriend's snub nose, casting dark companion lines along those sexy whisker marks, and making gilded crescents of long, thick eyelashes. Sloping, full and sculpted lips parted for him as he watched, and he was treated by the sight of a pink tongue darting out to dampen them.

_Kami! Now his knees really were made of paper!_

The golden light of the sun continued down over that compact, muscular form, curving over strong shoulders and long, nicely bulging arms, heat crept into Kakashi's body as he followed the pathway the wash of light had provided, sweat beading on his shivering belly as his gaze swept lower and lower unimpeded. The sight of sienna nipples, darkened and peaked, dried his mouth utterly and he rolled his tongue around inside of it suddenly very eager to lick and taste and feel the rise of this perfect body under his own as he did so. Between those sweet nubs was the glint of the blue crystal he'd given Naruto for Christmas, the shining stone winking at him in what was a very suggestive way to his very susceptible mind.

_What in the name of all that was merciful was Naruto trying to do to him?!_

Implicit permission had been given though, and so there was no stopping his eyes from going lower, and the heat kept rising in his own body as his gaze skimmed over a flat, shadow-striped belly and curled into the indent of a sweet-looking navel, sweat finally breaking out over his brow and beginning to drip from his temples as he looked further into the shadows inch-by-glorious-inch until that flushed and red and _hardened_ length curved over the angle of Naruto's hip twitched at him and Kakashi's heartbeat surged abruptly into his ears.

Reeling inwardly, his good sense and better judgement absolutely taking the coward's way out and fleeing, he locked his muscles so that he wouldn't embarrass himself, the inner shyness that two decades of social reticence and fleeting gratification had never banished from his heart threatening to utterly defeat his 'cool' reputation. Kakashi realized that he had the perfect angle to linger over that incredible body as he contrarily began to sway, the rush of blood to his head and the other parts below making his eyes swim and all of that golden flesh haze over as his brain turned into so much jelly. There was nothing that he couldn't see now that he was looking. Nothing from the delicate skin of an inner thigh to the tight golden curls at the base of a _(pretty, pretty) _cock. "Aaaa...Naruto." He gasped. "You...you..."

And finally remembered to shut his right eye.

One hesitant hand stole down over Naruto's belly, the square-shaped, blunt-tipped fingers reaching for the erotic prize Kakashi's eyes had only just set upon. Suddenly he could see how that hand trembled, and he knew then just how nervous his blond must be for all of this bravely sexual show he was putting on. Calloused fingers closed around the hardened length, and a moan escaped his lips as he watched them make that first tentative stroke, sliding up over skin that Kakashi knew must be velvety-smooth and hot. His dry mouth perversely chose that minute to fill with saliva so that he had to suck it back or drool, but he brought up a hand anyways to swipe at his mouth and found to his embarrassment that it was hanging open.

Swallowing harshly, he snapped it closed, his hand lingering against the firmness of his own lips as he kept on staring at Naruto and at what he was doing to himself. "By all the Kami, Naruto!" He murmured. Or, at least he thought that was what he'd said, but Kakashi couldn't be sure it hadn't just come out '_grr...arrgh'_ as his love spread his thighs a little wider allowing him to see the temptingly silky sac and that sweet expanse of highly sensitive skin. His fingers twitched to caress there, and to explore just what he was being offered...all the way down to where two, round full bottom cheeks had parted.

Noodles replaced his bones as Kakashi sagged towards the wall, his gaze caught, all of his blood truly abandoning the rest of his body to go in a tsunami to two places. He was _enthralled_, what he was seeing far more powerful than any Genjutsu he'd ever been captured in. Enchanted, by Naruto, and the innocence lasciviousness of those jerkily moving fingers. And _enraptured, _as if there was a force beckoning to him to go to Naruto, and his own straining hardness inside of his trousers was demanding it lead the way.

Demanding that he leap, pounce...capture! And devour. _What else could he do or say? _Propped up by a wall, and by his own growing need to help Naruto in what he was doing, Kakashi could only hope that his blond really wanted to do this, for he was fast approaching the point where he was only going to answer to their mutual needs and shove his conscience aside for later.

A shift of impatient hips and the glow of the lowering sun suddenly cast something into light that he hadn't yet seen, and suddenly his left eye was open again as a bolt of disbelief shot him through. _Oh Kami! Oh Kami! Was he __**glistening **__down there?_!

Kakashi stared hard, heedless of the look upon his face as he assured himself that he hadn't imagined the shiny slick that sparkled just around a certain recess. When he knew...when he could think enough to claim a bit of reason, his gaze flew upwards to that beautiful face desperate to be sure Naruto truly wanted him, beside the blatantly obvious evidence before him. Kakashi knew his blond all too well, and he knew just how he threw himself into deeds without preparation.

_But he did prepare! He did prepare!_

Ignoring his dick, Kakashi tried to find words against the tidal wave of desire overtaking him. His mouth tried to make the sounds even as his brain made note of the fact that Naruto was about to speak, and that those soft lips were about to form a word that looked as if it started with '_ffff...'_

"_**Fuck me." **_Kakashi breathed out in desperate awe, his gaze locking for an instant with intrepid, begging, eyes of blue. "_Fucck mme..." _It was too much to bear as all of his blood went south in a wave of want so intense his head whirled, and without another word everything just.

Went.

Black.

...KNKNKN...

The shapely and solid weight over his pelvis was nothing to worry about. After all, Kakashi knew the feel of Naruto's round, gorgeous bum over his hipbones, and he knew the sound of his breathing, which was growing closer as the unmistakable scent of his blond boyfriend suddenly invaded his nostrils. "_Hmm…_Naruto." He purred, inhaling deeper, his befuddled brain trying to reason out just what his love was doing - just what he **had** been doing to have this welcome weight right over his groin. Arching up, he ground himself against that plump ass, a slight frown touching his lips as he figured out there was something oddly wrong about the feel of his love's body over his.

_Not the same friction. Something was definitely different. _His brain supplied.

The difference wasn't enough to stop the groan he gave, nor the twitching of his fingers to reach up and touch. Nor did it stop the soft whimper of Naruto's name, made in homage, and in an effort to take in more of that alluring ozone and sunshine smell—more of that warm, furry aroma that was Naruto's delicious own. Without even opening his eyes he could be content to lie here and frot and hear his love breathe, and when air brushed over his lips, he parted them for the expected kiss.

"Oi! Kakashi!" Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion that this had all been some kind of dirty trick on the other man's part. That the silver-haired devil had dropped on purpose just to get Naruto exactly where he was. "Oi! Open your eye and look at me, dammit! Or are you just a pervert while you're out of it, too?!"

His voice might be a little snappish, but it was also hesitant, for as worried and as _possibly _ angry as he was at Kakashi just falling over like that, Naruto was still sitting on top of him, perfectly naked.

_Not necessarily aroused anymore. _He had to say, but naked. And with weird kinds of oil in places that were surprisingly…nice to touch. "Are you gonna open your eye, or what, 'Kashi?" Naruto placed the pad of one finger on the thin, trembling skin of his boyfriend's eyelid and tried to push it upward to see the grey pupil beneath. "Are you even awake?"

That single grey eye did open, first to stare, and then widen to fearful and astonished proportions as an alarmingly profuse blush began to crawl over the prone man's pale cheeks. "Kami, Naruto." Kakashi said, and Naruto watched his throat almost convulse as the man sought to swallow. "You really are naked, aren't you?"

Puzzled as to why the silver-haired Jounin was so obviously struggling and colouring, and why those long, elegant fingers were now waving about in mid-air like fern fronds in a strong wind, Naruto studied his boyfriend, trying to figure out just what the problem really was. "Yeah…" He responded, his tone suddenly defensive. "I am… Why?" His voice rose accusingly, and broke pathetically. "Am I…? A-am I ugly or somethin'?"

The desperation in that question drove a sharp spike of awareness into Kakashi's bashful, reluctant brain and he grunted a low epithet at his own stupidity. "No! Naruto, no you're not ugly!" He burst out, his hands finally settling back on tender, warm skin as he held onto his love so that he couldn't bolt away without listening. "That's not it! Not it, I swear. You are…you are so _fucking beautiful_ I…I, _um, _I don't even know how to tell you in words! When I saw you…_Kami…"_

Scarlet glimmered along the edge of the closed lid of his left eye before Kakashi opened it. He wanted to capture this first, most important moment as Naruto began to understand. When the comprehension and relief softened those sky blue eyes of his, and he smiled—smiled as if the whole world had just laid itself right at his feet.

"The sight of you…" Pausing to moisten parched lips, he tried again. "I swear by all that I've ever seen or known…you were _too much_ for my poor brain to handle."

Naruto's eyes went wide with wonder just as Kakashi had known they would, and then they crinkled down again as that smile the Jounin had been anticipating began to spread over that beautiful, open face, lighting up all of that golden skin until the he felt as if the sun was shining down on him just from that grin alone. _What would he say? What would he do? _The idea of having any part of that naked skin pressed against him made squiggly things sneak about in Kakashi's belly. His former student did like to **throw** himself at things, after all.

No smushing was immediately indulged in, though, instead what happened made that single crimson eye open even wider in wonder and affection for his constantly surprising paramour.

A righteous chuckle left Naruto's mouth as he began to unconsciously preen, arching back to show off his naked body. He didn't quite know what he was doing, Kakashi realized, he was just infected with the utter joy of being admired by someone that _**he **_admired. The older man indulged his love in that absolutely endearing behavior and let a smile of hungry need curve up his lips before he switched his gaze and regarded Naruto with his normal eye again. If he could only peer into that patchwork quilt of a mind and follow along with his love's thoughts, and know just exactly how the golden-haired live wire was truly taking his confession.

_Kakashi wanted him so much he wanted to remember this forever! _Naruto exulted, continuing to chortle happily. _So much he'd actually knocked him out! Dattebayo! The power of the Uzumaki strikes again!_

"Just wait until I tell everyone you fainted." He exclaimed smugly, his eyes shining with the knowledge he'd done something even the best Shinobi found to be impossible just with his awesome Naruto-ness. "Everyone will be soooo jealous that I knocked you on your ass!"

"Mah, Naruto." Came the dry reply as Kakashi ran his hands over the tanned skin on his hips, those long fingers teasing him gently. "I'm often under you just like this—are you going to share the 'why' of my faint? You know that Sakura, or Shikimaru, will get it out of you. Or Sai…"

His teeth clicked audibly as Naruto's mouth slammed shut and he gulped hard. "Errr…" A blush climbed up his cheeks as he all too easily imagined his friends and teammates doing just that. Sai, in particular, had a way of getting him to admit to things just by being his normal, obtuse, self. And Sakura… "Maybe not then." _Heh heh_ "Maybe we should just keep this to ourselves." He rushed to say, a shiver running up his spine as those callused fingertips drew lines up over the tender skin inside of his knees. "Yeah…only we should know."

"Only us." Kakashi echoed, shifting his hands to curl them under his love's shoulder blades to pull him down into a blistering kiss. "Only we two." Sucking in a plump bottom lip, he nipped and nibbled until his blond's hips were jerking haphazardly over his own, showing him that Naruto was more at ease now.

"Tell me." He whispered, dragging his lips over those sexy lines to kiss an earlobe. "Tell me why you were naked and roused and waiting for me. And tell me why…why _this_?"

Quick as the liquid metal that he'd been nicknamed for, one hand dipped down from where it had been resting on the dimple of one fulsome cheek and swiped against a slippery, puckered opening. Heat slid over the silver-haired man's face like an intimate caress as a free moan fell from those lips he'd just kissed, and Naruto shuddered from head to toe in reaction. "Are you trying to tell me that you want this?"

Applying a bit more pressure, Kakashi felt the give of that usually tight ring and drew in a shallow breath at the thought his love had done this much preparation. "Incredible, Naruto." He hissed out, gazing up into those dilating blue eyes to catch the hint of wonder and shy determination that flashed through them. There was something in the crinkling of that nose and the wrinkling of a golden brow that told Kakashi this was more than an attempted seduction - that his unpredictable teammate and irrepressible lover had set upon yet another goal - one that only the brain beneath that cap of sunshine hair knew the full reason for. Apparently **he** was the target of this mission, and making love for the first time, the completely attainable goal.

"Tell me, love." He whispered, feeling his mind truly come back to him, grey matter functioning once more. "Tell me, and let's get off of this floor…there's a small bed over there that truly looks more comfortable."

…KNKNKN…

The getting of Naruto off of him proved to be a damned sight harder than Kakashi had been thinking that it might. The teen lingered and blushed, and scrambled for words to excuse his state, but the older man had been having none of it for he didn't think Naruto had anything to apologize for, and he'd shut him up with kisses as he'd levered the both of them up from off of the hard wooden boards.

Eventually they'd made it to Naruto's narrow bed, and he'd deposited the nude, golden-skinned body directly onto the rumpled covers, his grey eye scanning down over all of that enticing form he'd been gifted with as he debated with himself over where to start. Every part of Naruto was a temptation in and of itself, and Kakashi wanted to know and explore _every _inch now that he could. In the end though, he debated too long, and he soon found eager, not-too-nimble fingers trying to strip away all of his clothes.

Say what he would about his boyfriend's sometime awkwardness, Kakashi would not have traded those trembling hasty hands for any other lover's he'd ever had. Naruto tried his best to divest him of his clothing, but the Jounin had to laugh and bend down for the teen to pull his uniform top off over his head, for the younger man had gotten it quite caught around his neck, and he lost a not inconsiderable number of hairs as it was finally wrenched off.

Half naked, he had those blue eyes focused on him, looking him over as he'd done to Naruto first. Kakashi stood quite still—almost, but not quite—self-conscious at the way he was being so innocently devoured, but he rejoiced in the devouring, and loved that his boyfriend wanted him so much. "Well?" He asked softly, a single silver brow rising. "What about the rest?"

Naruto blushed as he realized just what Kakashi was asking him, and his eyes dropped over the flat, ridged stomach he'd been fixated on to focus on where he knew the fastenings for those uniform trousers were hidden. He'd never worn a pair of them, for his typical outfit was completely different, but he'd seen them on his friends often enough, and knew how it worked when you needed to take them down to take a pee.

He thought of that now, and swallowed as he gathered the courage to reach out and touch his love's belly with gentle fingertips, tracing down over those hard muscles with intent curiosity until he reached the indent of a taut navel. Under his touch, Kakashi's belly flinched and grew tighter, and for a moment Naruto peered upwards and the look in that grey eye nearly blistered his skin it was so hot. Melted into a formless puddle by it, he almost didn't react when the other man went to undo the pants himself. The sight of those long, deft fingers working at the fastenings popped him back into the real world and the very real knowledge that he was about to see all of Kakashi naked for the very first time.

Suddenly he was all fingers and anticipation, and it was too much to wait for even a moment longer. He joined Kakashi in trying to pull those pants down, wrestling with the ties and those long, calloused digits and ending up with a snarl that refused to be undone. Naruto's head snapped up in alarm, and they stared at each other with a consternation that bordered on amusement until the taller man produced a kunai from Kami knew where and then the problem was no more.

The sliced fabric caught on narrow, powerful hips and hung there, drawing Naruto's gaze all the way down the opened arrow of dark blue to where the curl of silver hair nestled at the base of what looked to be a very impressive erection. Blue eyes widened and pupils dilated to the point where that blue almost disappeared as he stared. _There it was_. _That hard prick that he'd rubbed up against…had come against…_

His gulp of physical recognition sent heat right down to his own groin, and a harsh breath blew from him as Naruto's hands twitched to touch again. He glanced up, tempted to ask for permission, but he knew that this wasn't the time to ask for anything, but was the time to act.

So he did. He touched, a single pad of hardened skin on a fingertip as he placed it under the indent of the other man's navel and drew it downward, concentrating on the movement of skin-over-skin rather than the (intimidating) destination. _Kakashi. His Kakashi. _

Soft hair brushed against his callus and stilled his breath, and he stared just there at his fingernail before he dared to look down and see the silvery curls that that had twined about his skin as if they were embracing him. Naruto didn't breathe, he didn't move, he just sat there, looking, and in his peripheral vision, he watched as his Kakashi pushed his trousers all the way off.

That jutting, swelling of flesh was there, in front of him, then, and his heart beat hard and his chest got tight, and when he looked…for he _had to, had to_…look, he leaned forward closer and closer and his vision filled with what his boyfriend had never shown him before, and he was _captivated_ by what had been hidden. "'Kashi…" Naruto breathed, and his breath over that sensitive skin drew a gasp from his love. A flowering of heat in his belly told him just how much he'd enjoyed provoking that reaction, and so he drew closer again and knew the scary excitement of his lips brushing over that erotic, alien territory.

Barefoot, his pants around his ankles and his heart beating in his throat, Kakashi watched in shivery awe as those sweet lips he so loved to kiss kissed a very intimate part of him. "What are you doing, my sunshine?" He whispered, unable to let go of the awe bubbling within him. "How can you be so…"

_fucking perfect?_

It was almost too much for their first time together like this. Too much to want for, and too much to expect, and when Kakashi's hands found their way into those golden locks he drew Naruto up to him and kissed him tenderly, their gazes finding each other as their lips parted. "We'll save that for later, shall we." He said softly, and he walked them back that foot to the bed. He wasn't going to go all the way this time, for the sake of his blond. '_I'll save you for later.'_

Laying over his love on that narrow bed, Kakashi took his time to touch him, using lips and fingers and the slide of legs together to rouse and worship. Naruto arched into him, those golden crescent eyelashes fluttering, the soft sounds of begging urging him on. He nibbled on a tanned neck, and over a muscle-carved shoulder to the top of a finely-forming pec, on down to the pert nub that stood tall for his lips to suck upon. All the while his head spun, and his heart thundered, and his brain roared with all of the things that he could use to describe this moment…and all of the beautiful words he could say to tell his love just how he felt to be with him like this…but could not say.

Oh, could not say, but _show._

Shuddering, moaning with every exhalation, Naruto arched against his boyfriend as those expert fingers found their way to that place that clenched for them, wiggling and caressing and lingering just on the brink. He whined, the breath blowing out of his nose and hitched up a leg, carelessly and anxiously throwing it over the taut bum he could see just over Kakashi's pale shoulder. "Yes, yes!" He moaned, hips rolling downwards to take more. "'Kashi, yes!"

It felt so good. He'd thought perhaps that it would, and it kinda had even when he'd done it to himself, but…there was something so different about the weight of this man over top of him, and the knowledge that it was a part of Kakashi sliding inside of him…hands that could kill with blinding speed and precision touching him so needfully. So different and so mind-blowingly, amazingly hot that it was all Naruto could do to whimper and to move, and to ask for more as something was touched inside of him that bowed his back and suddenly liquid heat spread over his stomach as he convulsed through a ragged, tearing peak.

"Oh, oh, ohh…_ohhhhh…"_ Naruto cried out, his eyes and mouth falling open as lightning danced under his skin and sparked out through his fingers and toes. He was helpless before that storm of heat and wonder, and only when it was all over was he able to focus on the loving, smirking face of the man leaning over him, amusement dancing in that single grey eye. "That is called a prostate gland, Naruto." Kakashi teased him softly. "I think we'll have a lot of fun with that."

Frankly, Naruto didn't care what it was called so long as those naughty fingers kept on touching him there. He'd just had the biggest freaking explosion of his life, and he was gasping in the aftermath of it, his brain only just beginning to reassemble itself from the tiny floating globs it had been reduced to by what his lover had done to him as his lungs heaved for much needed air. _Nothing…_ He thought. _Nothing could match that! What was the man going on about?!_

When Kakashi leaned his head down to his white-spattered belly, Naruto wondered just what his former sensei was going to do, not expecting to feel the hot/wet/_holyfuckdamn_ of a tongue swiping over his skin. "What?! What are you doing?!" The words rasped from him as the fingers that had never left the interior of his flexing bottom began to match the rhythm of the licking his boyfriend was giving him. "You're **tasting** that stuff?"

"Mmm…" The murmur vibrated against golden flesh as Kakashi teased his love, his grey eye nearly molten metal as he gazed up at Naruto and finished licking all of that creamy, bitter goodness from a shivering belly. "Don't knock what you haven't tried, Naru." He rasped, a predatory smile spreading over his lips as he felt the nudge of a reawakening length beside his cheek. "You _do _like salty things, after all."

The adorable frown that drew down golden brows made Kakashi's smirk widen just before he turned his head to lick at his boyfriend's beautiful cock, intent upon showing Naruto just how much more pleasure there was to be experienced. Almost immediately those strong, muscular hips rose and jerked for him, and the round, tight bum he was exploring clenched so hard he thought his fingers might break, making Kakashi groan just as swallowed down his lover whole.

Heat and weight and the knowledge that it was his love's eager erection in his mouth and over his tongue drove Kakashi's own need higher, and he slid sideways a bit to find a hard thigh to grind himself against to further his own aching wants. Rubbing over Naruto's soft, tanned skin was a sinful pleasure all in itself, and he let all of his enjoyment of what he was doing vibrate over that sensitive shaft in his mouth with every noise that he made, until they were making their way desperately towards another orgasm together-only Kakashi's forceful hand upon the angle of his love's pelvic bone keeping those eagerly thrusting hips from choking him completely.

Somehow in the midst of their straining together for that sharp-sweet release, they found a rhythm that was natural and true to the love that they had for each other—Naruto rising and falling as Kakashi took him in, arms outstretched above his head to brace himself against the wall as the Jounin devoured him, the tip of his nose brushing over soft golden curls and the heated skin of a flat belly. They undulated and arched, and his love pushed down onto his fingers and rose to slide upwards into the wanting heat of his mouth, each whimpering gasp a plea for more to Kakashi's listening ears. Like a perfect, sensual reflection of how they fought together in the field, they moved and countered and found that sweet, sweet contact that drove all of their passions for each other to the very heights of mutual bliss.

Naruto cried out his name, shouting it up to the ceiling as he arched upwards and Kakashi took him deeply, growling low in his throat as he soaked up the sensation of having had the power to do this to the younger man he loved. He drank in all that he received, his eye stealing upwards to devour that erotic sight—the sight of his irrepressible sunshine-haired lover shining with sweat, that plump mouth gasping and those sky blue eyes lost to sensation. It was an image that he hungered for as much as he hungered for the hard body he ground himself against, and as his own will began to dissolve and his climax tickled in the base of his spine and wound round the nerves in his groin, he dropped his gaze back down to hold it there as he let go of himself and spiraled to his peak, Naruto's name in every beat of his heart.

In every pulse of his body.

The scent of warm fur rose to fill Kakashi's senses as he came down, drawing up, as it were, from that softening length as sighs and gasps and breathy moans filled up the sudden silence in the room. Between them, where he was pressed against a molded thigh, slick stickiness announced the orgasm that had rattled his bones and fired his blood, and he grinned a bit loopily as he suckled one last time before kissing that sweet cock a temporary farewell.

_He'd be doing that again…oh, yes…he would!_

"Maa…Naruto." Propping his chin on the curve of a hip he peered up over a heaving stomach, awaiting the return of awareness to those half-closed sky-tinted eyes. "You alive in there, Naruto?" He teased.

"I'm…I'm here." Came the raspy response, and those beautiful blue eyes that were so sensually sleepy opened to gaze down at him. "At least I _think_ I'm here, 'tebayo… Give me another few minutes to be sure."

Crawling up the bed to lie beside his love, Kakashi plopped down on the single pillow beside that limp, satiated form and threw an arm around Naruto to tug him close. "Good?" The single word was softly murmured as he kissed the whisker marks on a tanned cheek.

"Good." Was the answer that swelled the Jounin's heart at least two sizes behind his ribs. "So, so, _very _good."

A smile curved over Kakashi's lips as he kissed his way over that slack face, finding a soft mouth to indulge in a deep tasting that had Naruto snuggling into him like he wanted to melt all the way into his body. "I'm so glad that you seduced me." He said gently, each word punctuated by another kiss. "I will never be able to tell you how much this means to me."

"_Mmm…" _Naruto hummed, nuzzling into the angle of his boyfriend's neck. "I am, too." _It hadn't been exactly as he'd pictured it, but… _He threw an arm over Kakashi's shoulders and began to work his leg between those long ones, wanting to be as close as possible. "I really liked it…I liked it _a lot_." A warm chuckle that sent little tingles down his spine brushed over his temple and then there were hands caressing his back, right down to where those fingers had so recently been inside of him, and they caressed him there, too.

He had a feeling then, that he was going to like it even more, later, but for right now he'd be contented to go to sleep just where he was…but maybe _after a shower. It was kinda gross to have that stuff all over his skin._ "Will you…will you teach me how to do that?" Naruto asked hesitantly, blinking against the pale skin of Kakashi's throat. "I want to…I want to do that you, too."

"Most definitely." A breath whispered over his ear and warm lips slid against it as the other man sighed. "I think I shall have to give you anything you want."

_Anything…_

_Anything I want. _

He kinda felt like he already had that, wrapped up here in the silver-haired man's arms. Even with the heaviness of his achy, happy exhaustion threatening to draw him down into sleep, Naruto was already thinking of just what those other 'anythings' might be. "That could be a lot of fun." Rolling over onto his back and regretfully away from Kakashi, he stared up at the ceiling of his room for a moment before letting loose a deep and significant sigh.

"Well…I need to wash. Yuck."

That simple, direct sentence after so much emotion made Kakashi laugh, and he rolled onto his back, too, as he watched Naruto slide off the side of the bed and stalk towards his small bathroom. _Such a beautiful ass…and he'd been inside of it! _

Heat bubbled up through his blood as he stared at those two muscular globes flexing up and down and began to imagine…

"Hey, 'Kashi?" The soft, gentle tone of that raspy young voice drew his gaze up from where he'd been ogling and he saw that his love had paused there in the doorway to peer back at him, a look of intense, uncharacteristic thoughtfulness on Naruto's face. A beam of light from the room beyond glinted blue off the crystal around his lover's neck. "This was…this was kinda nice. I really liked it."

_To hear that from his former student was high praise, indeed. _Kakashi knew, and he had to grin. "Yes, Naru." He spoke aloud into the vacuum created by the absence of that warm, bright presence as the teen disappeared into the bathroom; the sound of rushing water dulled his ears as the shower was turned on. "So very nice."

Dropping his arms over his bare mid-section, he wrapped them around himself and held on tightly, reveling in the aftermath of this wonderful thing he'd just shared with the one he'd fallen in love with. Lying there, he found in his heart that he cherished this quiet, peaceful time as surely as he had the fierceness of the love that they'd just made. He was here, and in the next room was the one that loved him back.

Surely these kinds of quiet moments and the gentle interactions of everyday life were just as necessary to a Shinobi as sharp kunai and hand seals, and until this moment…this very moment as he held the memory of Naruto in his arms…Kakashi knew he had not grasped the full truth of that fact. Not until _he'd _ had the knowledge of its true worth next to him. Not until he'd known this magnitude of love for the first time in his life.

The first time and his first love; a path and a person he'd have never imagined beside him in his future as a young man Naruto's age. And now, he could not imagine his future without him. From the dull, lost ache of being alone, to having the promise of love wound around him-how his life had changed in the course of the turning seasons.

When winter had started, he'd been alone. Through the snows and the cold, warmth had crept in, until with the spring he'd felt the rising temperature that melted ice and drew forth the buds so the heat of summer could come and make them bloom. As Gai-stupidly romantic as it sounded, he…he had been a bud like that, and it had been Naruto that had made him bloom, Kakashi had no doubts about it.

Hearing a seriously off-key humming begin to beat over the patter of the water from the next room, the inimitable 'Naruto-ness' of that moment assured that he really had no doubts about that at all. "You are my light and my warmth, love." He said aloud into the room. Sliding off the bed on onto his feet in one graceful moment, he paced steadily towards the half-open door, continuing to speak softly. "I didn't know how dark and cold it was inside of me until you showed me how to open to the sun."

Kakashi had sworn his aid to this incredible young man before, but now, with this love joining them, he vowed it again, a protectiveness so fierce and so indescribably powerful that it shook him to his very marrow rose through him. "No matter what…" The words slipped out of him as he paused at the door, and inhaled the scent of ozone and warm fur that was his lover's own. "No matter what, _nothing_ will ever happen to you."

A light illuminated the depths of his single grey eye as he peered into the misty bathroom, catching glimpses of golden skin shining with glittering droplets of water. "I love you, Naruto Uzumaki, master prankster, unpredictable ninja and future Hokage." Kakashi whispered. "I _love_ you, and we will take on whatever comes our way, _together."_

And showering together…that seemed like a very good next step for him to take.

…K/N… The End

**I want to take this time to thank you all not just for the success of this story, but for getting to talk to all of you! Friendship is priceless in this world and it has been great to get to know you all!** **You guys are really awesome! (or have bad taste…I can't tell XD)**

**I can't believe how many of you enjoyed this little story and that is the best feeling in the world! I have to thank my co-writer who has been there for this story and wrote this whole chapter, as I got the future sequel ready.**

**As for the sequel, it is in the works. I will post and update on this story when the first chapter of the sequel is up. Thanks again everyone, this isn't the end for our little white rose. –Deathwish91296.**

**And here it is. The last chapter. My thanks to my writing partner, Deathwish, who gave me this chapter to write. All blame for its lateness falls to my shoulders, and I must thank Deathwish for his constant support and hopeful inquiries that kept me motivated after suffering through a difficult time. Thanks, guy! You're a wonderful and patient co-pilot.**

**We hope you like this. We hope you like how we finished up this story with Kakashi kind of coming round again, out of the cold and 'blooming' finally, as it were.**

**Thanks to all of our loyal and dedicated readers. You've really made this fun and worthwhile and never disappointed us in your reactions to the tale that we were trying to tell. Reading your reviews and your comments motivated us to keep on track and finish this for you. You are all the best! And we 3 you all! -KEK**


	21. Update

**Update.**

**Hello everyone! This is just to update you guys that the first chapter of the sequel to "The White Rose" is now up! The story is called "Thorn of the White Rose" **

s/10857119/1/Thorn-of-the-White-Rose **Here is a link. **

**I want to also say that I did change my pen name to Wishmaker91296 but you can still call me death or Jacob. **

**Thank you guys for being the best and please don't forget to review!**

**-D.W**


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